


My Dear, Omega

by Evilbunnygirl93



Category: Alice Nine, BORN (band), Dir en grey, MEJIBRAY, Miyavi (Musician), Nightmare (Band), Nocturnal Bloodlust, SCREW (Band), SuG (Band), Versailles (Band), ViViD (Band), X JAPAN, melody - Fandom, the GazettE
Genre: Abuse, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Omega!Reita, PTSD, Pack, Pack Dynamics, Sex, Smut, Violence, alpha!Kai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 09:29:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 43
Words: 178,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8484172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilbunnygirl93/pseuds/Evilbunnygirl93
Summary: Reita went from living a life of fighting to having a chance at freedom and being in a real pack. He even found a mate, something he never even dreamed of. However, this new life quickly proves how broken Reita really is and he's fighting to stay together. It doesn't help when another omega is after his mate and that his new home may not be as safe as he thought it would be.





	1. Caged

            Wolves circled each other in a small caged structure. The crowd around them was shouting and some people were waving money in their hands. One wolf was large with light brown fur. The other was a smaller white wolf covered in grime. Both had shackles on all four of their ankles and were both covered in bloody wounds. Standing on the outside of the cage doors on each side were their masters waiting for the outcome of the match.

The brown wolf charged in and bit down on the white wolf’s scruff. He yelped as he pulled away tearing the flesh at the back of his neck. He broke away and retreated back a few steps before letting out a low growl. The brown wolf jumped on him, but he quickly ran to the side to dodge it. They both stood on their hind legs as they tried to bite each other. The white wolf saw an opening and bit down on the brown wolf’s jugular. He forced the larger wolf to the ground and laid on top of it. The brown wolf was at his mercy. A bell rung that signaled the end of the match and so the white wolf let go then looked at his master.

He started walking back to the cage door when he heard a growl behind him. Before he could react, the brown wolf had clamped down on his hind leg. He whimpered out as he was brought to the ground and dragged back. The brown wolf shook his head tearing at the white wolf’s hind leg. The smaller wolf kicked at the brown wolf and clipped it in the eye with one of his claws. It let go shaking his head and the white wolf jumped up biting down on his neck once more. However, this time he shook his head until he heard the brown wolf’s neck snap. He let go and let out a growl at the brown wolf’s master.

A whistle caught his attention. His body started moving to the cage door on instinct as the crowd roared in disappointment.

“The winner is Dogma!” the announcer shouted as the white wolf change into the form of a young man with blonde hair. He was shirtless wearing grey long shorts. Blood ran down from bite marks on the back of his neck, down his right arm, left calf muscle, and scratches on his back. His master was waiting at the door so he turned when got there and placed his back against it. He felt his master’s hand come through the bars and wrap the metal collar around his neck with a click locking it in place. The metal aggravated his neck wound, but he didn’t make a sound. The door was opened and he was allowed to limp out where his master hooked a chain to his collar.

“Good boy, Akira. You made me a lot of money tonight.” Dogma said with a smile. The man was taller than Akira, his brown spiked hair was greying at the sides as well as his short beard. The compliment had no effect on Akira as he was tugged by the chain to follow. His leg burned with every step they walked into the hallway. The only thing he knew was hunger, pain, and fighting.

They went down a few corridors until they reached a hallway full of cages. Akira was pushed into his pen and his master unlocked his leash only to lock a longer chain to his collar. This chain was connected to the back of the cage. The blonde carefully laid on his blanket as his master closed the barred door. He stared at the empty cage across from him wondering just how much longer it would be before his own cage became empty. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Sleep seemed to be his only escape.

“Wake up.”

Akira’s eyes shot open and saw a familiar teenage girl sitting next to him. His nose caught the whiff of food. Next to her was a plate of chicken tenders and mashed potatoes. He growled at her as he reached to grab the plate. His body was being drove by hunger. He grabbed the plate and started cramming the food into his mouth. A hand on his shoulder made him flinch and he growled at the girl, but she seemed unaffected. After all, she was in charge of taking care of him.

“When you’re finished I’ll clean you up. We don’t those wounds getting infected.”

Akira studied this girl for a moment. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and freckles on her cheeks. She was wearing a blue dress with white poke-a-dots. He let out a low growl but continued to eat and lick his plate until it was cleaned. The whole time she had begun rubbing his head. He liked it. He liked her. She was kind and she didn’t yell or beat him.

He allowed her to clean his wounds and patch them up for him. She took the plate and stood up to leave. He whined and looked up at her with his sad brown eyes. She leaned over and kissed his forehead.

“I’ll get you out of here tonight, I promise.” She whispered. Then she was gone and Akira was left alone to sleep.

            A loud clank filled his ears and he opened his eyes to see the girl standing there. She knelt in front of him and placed a finger over her lips signaling him to stay quiet. He nodded his head and she took the chain off his collar. She helped him to his feet where he could limp out. She pulled out a white piece of cloth and handed it over to him.

“Smells outside will be really strong for you for a while. This will help block them out. Cover your nose with it.”

He nodded at the order and tied the cloth around his face before they continued on. He held onto the wall as he limped down behind her. They moved through several passages until they came to the end of a dark hallway. The whole time she had gentle grip on his hand to lead him. She walked to a sewage cover and lifted it up. He stared at her as she grabbed a book bag that was hidden in the back of the darkness.

“There is some food in here and a long jacket. I wasn’t able to get you shoes or a shirt. I hope this is enough for you. You also have four bottles of water so drink them sparingly. You’ll have to follow the sewage out to the water. After that you’ll have to find your own way.”

Akira grabbed the bag and placed it on his back before looking at the teenage girl and gave a stiff smile.

“Thank you, Leena.” His voice was rough and low, but it made her smile.

“Get out of here now. They’ll notice you’re missing in a few hours. You’ll need to make some distance before that.” She whispered.

He nodded and moved to climb down the stairs. He was careful with his leg as he made his way down. When he reached the bottom he could barely make out Leena’s form, but it was soon gone when she covered the opening back up.

            He had followed the flow of sewage, slipping on some in the process, but he made it out to the end of the pipe. It was flowing into the low tide ocean. He carefully climbed down to the rocks, then down those until he stepped onto the sandy beach. He took in a breath of fresh air. Even through the cloth on his nose, it was still a little strong and turned his stomach. He opted to breathing through his mouth for now. He trekked the beach for a while and after a few hours he finally put on his jacket. It was long enough to cover his ankles and it hid his collar as well.

            It had been a week since he escaped. His leg was a little better, but his arm and one of the wounds on his back were killing him. He still had a slight limp and the wound was still sore, but he managed to get some distance by walking. He thought it would be safer to walk along the forest path rather than cutting though cities and towns. He hadn’t had any problems up until now, but stepping onto this path he knew he was in trouble. He could feel it, hear it, and smell it. He was surrounded by wolves from this forest. He must have missed the scent markers for the territory. It was too late now though.

He stopped walking and waited. Either they would deem him a threat and attack or they would leave him alone for the night. A low growl followed by others surrounded him as they started coming out of their hiding places. The dark brown wolves were starting to circle him. He counted five, but spotted two more still in the bushes. He was looking for a way out, but not making a move so he wouldn’t alarm them further. The hair on his neck stood as he heard someone coming from his right.

            Suddenly a tall, older man walked out wearing a black coat covered in fur and feathers. His hair was long and black, his coat was opened up to show his muscled form. His legs were long and covered with black leather pants. His face was aged with wrinkles under his eyes and some around his mouth, but he still held a strong square jaw. The man cocked his head to the side as he walked closer to Akira and the circling wolves stopped their movements. The blonde lowered his head to show submission to the pack leader.

The man leaned over and took a big sniff. “Tell me, what is a smelly pup doing out here away from his pack?”

Akira let out a small whimper as he shrunk in on himself. The pressure this alpha was emitting was putting a strain on him. A few wolves let out a few growls from his silence, but the man waved his hand to silence them.

“There is talk going around about the pack leader Dogma losing one of his puppies. You don’t know anything about that do you? He’s paying a hefty reward for the pup’s return.”

Akira started to shake at the sound of his master’s name. This was the first time in a long time that he allowed his fear to take over his body. When the pack leader in front of him stepped forward, Akira stepped back. He didn’t know what to do. The older man quickly reached out and grabbed Akira’s jacket and pulled him closer. He pulled it down and saw the metal collar that held a name tag with cursive writing: ‘Akira’.

“Please.” Akira whimpered. His eyes watered. “Please let me go.”

“You’re worth a lot to him.”

“Please…” He begged quietly, already giving up all hope.

The old man took a deep breath and let go of his jacket, but placed a hand on the blonde head. “You’re one of his cage fighting dogs. Dogma is a wolf that I have no respect for. Go to Ravenstone City. A pack there might let you join them. You have until dawn to get out of my forest. Go.”

Akira nodded his head. “Thank you.” He whispered and took off not wasting a second. He ignored the pain in his leg and kept going until the sun started to rise.

            The morning air was crisp as he walked along the road. He long left the forest and the last pack’s territory. He was grateful that he was let go, but he wouldn’t risk it again. He decided to stick with the roads from now on. He made his way through a couple of small towns throughout the morning, and the sun was now high in the sky. He walked upon a truck station where the drivers were filling up. By this point he was starting to feel warm and tired. His limbs felt like jelly as he made his way to the building.

The smell of food was making his mouth water. As he walked closer, he noticed truckers staring at him from inside. There were a few outside the doors smoking and giving him glares. He decided not to go in, but instead walked around to the dumpster. He hopped onto the side and looked in to find it empty except for one trash bag. He sniffed at it, but found the smell unbearable and he almost puked.

He jumped off and whimpered from the pain in his leg. He turned and found truckers still watching him carefully. Akira looked at the trucks then back at the drivers to find them starting to walk to him. A shiver went down his spine and he quickly started limping back towards the road.

            “Hey you.” He ignored the call and kept limping on. “Do you want some food?”

He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to find a middle aged man walking to him. In his hand was a sandwich. Akira’s mouth watered at the sight of it. He was tempted to snatch it away and run. Then the man reached out with it. Akira stared at it for a moment debating whether it was safe or not. He grabbed it and brought it close to his chest as he took a step back waiting for the man to react. When he didn’t, Akira started shoving the sandwich in his mouth and in seconds it was gone.

“Th-thank you.” Akira mumbled licking his lips.

“Where are you heading?” The driver asked a little surprised.

The blonde swallowed hard but answered. “R-Ravenstone City.”

The man nodded his head. “You don’t seem like a bad guy. If you want, you can hitch a ride in the back of my truck. Not the warmest ride, but I’ll be driving by the exit for Ravenstone sometime tonight. I’m heading to the city past it, but I don’t mind driving you to the exit.”

Akira was surprised at first. He hesitated, but nodded his head. “Thank you.”

The man waved his hand and Akira followed him to a small semi with the bed being covered by a large brown tarp. The back was opened up and the load was stacked boxes. He climbed in and walked to the back to sit in the corner. He placed his empty book bag next to him as he placed his knees at his chest. He heard the truck start up and for the first time in a long time he closed his eyes without feeling scared.


	2. RavenStone City

            Loud clanking woke Akira from his slumber. His body shifted along with the other items in the bed of the truck. He could hear the wind hitting the brown tarp that covered the bed. The window to the cab opened up and the driver popped his head out.

“This is it pal. End of the line.”

The dirty blonde nodded and grabbed his backpack. He made sure his jacket was zipped before jumping out. He walked around to the window and gave his thanks before the truck continued straight ahead. He looked at the sign that pointed to the right at the curving road.

“Just a couple of more miles.” He muttered to himself. He raised his jacket over his face and started walking.

The later it got the colder it became. Winter was here and it was only a matter of days before it started snowing. As Akira made it to the top of a hill the busy city came into view. Ravenstone City. It took him another hour and for the sun to fully set to get into the city. It was pretty lively. Normal humans all around, neon lights, clubs, full restaurants and so on. Akira lifted the strap off his nose to take in the scents until he caught the ones he was looking for. He started walking, following the scents as best as he could. They were all around and hard to follow but he moved deeper into the city. He covered his nose once a headache came on and started to move on. He went to turn a corner when he literally bumped into someone. He was slightly taller than Akira, his hair was brown with blonde highlights like a honey blonde color. He was wearing a purple shirt, black pants, and a black long coat with silver studs on it.  They both stared at each other for a moment then the guy smiled.

“I knew I smelt a new pup around here.” The man leaned in closer. “You stink like oil and trash. Almost didn’t catch your scent. So what are you doing here, pup?”

Akira glared at him. “Don’t call me pup.”

“No need to get defensive.” A shorter male walked up behind the taller man, making Akira jump. His hair was brown, shoulder length, and curly. He was wearing all black, even his jacket and shoes. “We get a lot of strays through here. We like to know whose coming through and why.”

An alpha. This shrimp was an alpha and it was making Akira go on high alert. The two noticed this so the taller stepped forward making the blonde step back.

“It’s okay my name is Uruha. My mate here is Ruki. We didn’t mean to startle you. You’re in our territory and we need to know why.”

Akira stepped back, but he sensed another presence behind him. He turned quickly to see a man with shoulder length brunette hair glaring at him. The blonde was becoming overwhelmed from hunger, stress, and now two alpha males forcing their pressure on him. His eyes closed and he fell forward.

“Woah!” The brunette shouted, catching him in his arms. Feeling the pup’s heat in his arms made his heart beat faster.

“Kai! You scared him.” Uruha said walking to the blonde. He looked at Akira’s red face and placed a hand on his forehead. “He’s burning up.”

“Leave him.” Ruki ordered. Uruha gave a small whine. He didn’t want to disobey his mate, but his inner wolf felt an attachment to the puppy in front of him.

“Ru, he’ll die out here.” Uruha whimpered and got a glare from Ruki. He looked up at Kai who raised a brow at him. “Kai…please.”

“Uruha, enough. We’re leaving him. Kyo would have a fit is we brought a stray home.” On cue Akira let out a weak whine. Uruha looked at his mate with a pout. Ruki’s heart melted and he groaned out at the sky. He gave Uruha a stern look. “Fine, but you’re carrying him.”

Kai helped the blonde onto the omega’s back and they started walking back home.

            The three of them approached the ‘abandoned’ factory and walked through the gate. As they entered the main doorway warmth surrounded them. They walked further in until they made it to the main foyer. Some of their pack was in their wolf forms while others were in their human forms. Most of them were snarling at the new scent, but a loud growl made them stop in their tracks. Their pack leader was walking towards them with glaring eyes.

“What the hell is this?” He asked.

Uruha swallowed hard and looked down, but Ruki stepped in front of his mate on instinct. “We found him. He has a fever.”

“So, what that makes it okay to bring him here?” Kyo growled.

“H-he could die out there.” Uruha whimpered.

“He doesn’t belong here. Take him back from where ever you found him.”

“Kyo,” Kai spoke. “Would he staying one night really hurt? He doesn’t even have shoes”

“Then he should change his form. Get. Him. Out. Now.” The leader ordered and turned to walk away. Akira let out a soft whimper and it echoed through the factory. Kyo stopped for a second, but kept going back to his seat. Ruki nodded to Uruha and they started walking back to the entrance, but Kai stomped up to Kyo.

“Would it really hurt for him to stay for one night?” Kai let a small growl out. He doesn’t want to challenge his leader, but he wanted Kyo to listen to him. “He’s a sick pup. Are really going to let him _die_ out there? Because the Kyo I know wouldn’t let that happen even if he was a mutt. We were all once strays and loners. What makes him any different from us?”

Kyo let a low growl as he stood back up. He glared at Kai as he walked past him and towards Uruha and Ruki. He signaled Ruki to move and he looked at the pup on Uruha’s back. He placed his hand on the blonde’s forehand. He let out a deep sigh.  
“He eats from your portions until he leaves.” Kyo said and Uruha smiled.

“Thank you!”

Kyo just walked away as Ruki walked back to him.

            Kai followed the two up the stairs to the overhang where there were extra rooms. They went to one that had a burgundy curtain covering the doorway. They laid him down inside on a black futon. Kai grabbed a blanket from a shelf off to the side and brought it to cover the blonde up. Uruha unzipped the jacket to get him out, but gasped. The two alphas looked over and went wide eyed at the pup’s condition. His body was covered in bruises, healing bite marks and scars. A metal collar was around his neck. Uruha carefully removed the jacket all the way to see his entire body covered in wounds. His right arm had torn and dirty bandages wrapped on it, same with his lower left leg. The wound on his neck was wet and had puss coming out. Kai stepped out onto the overhang.

“Kyo, you and Shinya need to get up here now!” Kai yelled out before stepping back into the room. He knelt next to the unconscious body and rubbed the blonde head. His chest filled with heat and a sudden anger filled his body. “Poor thing.”

They heard footsteps and looked up to see Kyo, his mate Shinya, and another alpha, Toshiya. Kyo’s eye were wide from the sight. Shinya quickly grabbed the supplies he needed form a nearby room and got to work on cleaning the blonde’s wounds. Toshiya knelt next to pup and looked at the collar. He twisted it to find a name tag.

“His name is Akira.” Toshiya said and continued turning it until he saw the lock on it. “This shouldn’t be too hard to get off. Shackles look like they could be the same lock. I can get them off no problem.”

Kyo nodded. “Shinya?”

The golden blonde glanced up before wiping the wound on Akira’s arm. “His arm and neck are infected. It’s probably why he has a fever. His other injuries will need to be tended to, but they don’t look too bad. A lot of them are almost healed. He should be fine.”

“How long before he wakes up?”

Shinya shrugged his shoulders. “Could be hours, could be days. Depends on how bad his fever is.”

“Inform me when he wakes up.”

            ‘It’s warm’ was the first thing Akira thought when he awoke. The next thing he noticed was the overwhelming scents invading his nose. He let out a whimper as he grabbed his nose to stop the onslaught of smells.

“Are you okay?” Uruha came into his view.

“Noseband. Where’s my noseband?” He mumbled.

The brunette quickly grabbed the cloth he had thrown to the side earlier and handed it over. The blonde quickly tied it on and took a few short breathes before relaxing a little.

“Hypersensitivity to smell.” A new voice. This one had golden blonde hair and he was wearing a red and black coat with black faux leather pants. “Are you on any drugs?”

“Shinya!” The brunette snapped and turned his attention to the newcomer. “Don’t mind him, Akira.”

The blonde flinched at his name. “Don’t…don’t call me that.”

Uruha gave him a sad expression and nodded his head. “Okay. What would you like to be called then?”

“Just…not that.” He whispered.

“Okay, no problem we’ll figure that out later. My name is Uruha, this is Shinya. You have a small fever and you’ve been asleep for half the night. We’ve been tending to you.”

“I’ll go get Kyo.” The golden blonde whispered and got up to leave.

“Kyo?” Akira asked.

“He’s our pack leader.” Uruha answered. “He has a lot of questions for you. Do you think you’ll be okay to answer them right now? We don’t want to overwhelm you again. There will be a few alphas in here. I’ll be staying here so you don’t have to worry about being alone.”

Akira nodded and within minutes just like he had said a few alphas walked through the curtain along with Shinya. He could already feel the strain of the dominancy surrounding him.

Uruha announced. “This is our pack leader Kyo. Some of our alphas; Toshiya, Melody, and if you remember you met Kai and my mate, Ruki, earlier.”

He dropped his head and shoulders showing his submissiveness. Kyo sat directly in front of him, Ruki sat by Uruha, Shinya sat behind Kyo, Kai sat on the other side of Akira, and Toshiya and Melody remained at the door as to not crowd the pup too much.

“So,” When Kyo spoke Akira involuntarily flinched. The pack leader softened his voice. “Answer honestly. If you feel it’s too much, you have my permission to say so. We’ll stop and let you gather yourself. If we have to we can restart tomorrow. Is that clear?”

Akira nodded. Toshiya growled causing both omegas to flinch. “Show respect and answer him properly.”

“Toshiya silence. He and I will be the only ones speaking.” Kyo snapped causing Akira to let out a small whimper. Uruha was shaking from alpha pressure around him. Ruki pulled his mate’s head into his lap and started petting it to calm him. Uruha melted from the touch.

“Sir.” Toshiya bowed his head.

“Now, Akira” The leader went back to his softer voice, but the blonde whimpered at his name. Kyo looked at Uruha who spoke softly

“He doesn’t want to be called that.”

Kyo sighed. “Akira, would you like me to rename you?”

The blonde glanced up for second, then looked back down. Kyo closed his eyes and thought for a moment. “How does…Reita sound?”

The blonde nodded his head and whispered. “Thank you.”

“You’re an omega correct?” Kyo started his round of questions.

“Yes.”

“Tell me, why did you come here?”

The blonde swallowed hard. The pressure had lifted a little bit so he was able to answer a bit more steadily. “I was told it was safe here. That the pack here… your pack might help me.”

“Why do you need help? Why do you need safety?”

“I…I’ve…my old pack leader was abusive and controlling of his pack omegas. He took some of us and shackled us… chained us up. The collar was to control our wolf transformations better. I… he placed us in cage fights. That’s the only time he took our collars off so we could change forms. Sometimes I wasn’t able to change so he would inject something in me. It made me turn into my wolf form…I can’t explain it.” He took a few shaky breathes.

Kyo cocked his head. “Are you able to continue?”

“I…may I have…” He became silent. Toshiya was biting his tongue so he wouldn’t snap at the pup’s disrespectful mumbling.

“What?” Kyo asked softly.

“May I have a little bit of water?”

“Shinya, go get him some.” Kyo ordered and the golden blonde moved quickly. “Can you keep going?”

Reita nodded. “The fights were mainly to entertain normal humans, but sometimes a neighboring pack may watch. They pitted omegas against each other, sometimes we had to fight an alpha. If I won, I got to eat. If not then I miss my only meal. I was kept in a windowless room and in a cage like the other omegas.”

Shinya walked back in with two bottles of water and sat them next to blonde before kneeling behind Kyo once more. Reita licked his lips as he looked at the bottles, waiting. It took the pack leader a minute to notice why. “Reita, go ahead and drink as much as you need.”

“Thank you.” He muttered. He grabbed a bottle and started chugging it down. It only took him a few seconds to finish it off. He opened the second bottle, but only sipped on it a couple of times before he started speaking again. “Um…the rooms were windowless. He kept us in them so we couldn’t tell what day it was or if it was even daytime. It was to help keep us disoriented which gave him more power. He gave us injections…they were heat suppressors and pheromone hiders…I think once a month or at least it felt like it.

“He forced me to fight…so many times…I…was so hungry and tired. I couldn’t handle another fight and he knew it too. He was forcing me anyways. Then…I got lucky. A girl who worked there helped me escape. I ran into a forest pack. They told me about this place and let me go. I rode in the back of the truck until I got here.”

The alphas remained silent as Reita fidgeted in his spot.

“How long have you been receiving the heat suppressants and pheromone hiders? When was your last heat cycle supposed to be?”

“I’m not really sure.” Reita mumbled scratching at his right wrist shackle. “I…haven’t gone through any of my cycles. My pack leader started injecting me when I had hit puberty. My last injection was a day before my escape, which was last week I think. Sorry, my perception of time is really off.”

“That’s alright.” Kyo assured him. “One more question, and we’ll be done for the night. You can go to sleep afterwards. When you decided to come here, were you planning on staying long term or just a few days?”

“I… honestly I didn’t even think I would make it. When I did I became scared that I would be chased out, attacked, or caught and given back to my previous pack. I want to stay, but if I can’t I’ll leave. I don’t want to burden you.”

Kyo stood up. “To be a member of this pack you have to pull you own weight. Simple rules: you work, you eat. You don’t work, you don’t eat. Exceptions to the rule is when you’re sick or hurt. You being an omega, during your heat week you’ll be fully taken care of by other omegas and protected from the alphas until you find a mate. You’ll jump jobs until you find one suited to your skills. We take care of each other and we protect each other. Do you have any questions?”

“Um…” Reita mumbled, rubbing hands. “May I ask two questions?”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

“Could someone help me…get my restraints off?”

“I can do that in the morning.” Toshiya volunteered. “If you can wait.”

Reita nodded which earned a low growl making him shrink in on himself.

“Toshiya.” Melody snapped glaring at him, but continue to speak. “Miyavi will assist you in getting those things off of Reita.”

“What was your second question?” Kyo asked the pup.

Reita blushed a little. “I…I don’t…I wasn’t taught how to act in a pack. I don’t know how I’m supposed to respond or greet or anything. I…could someone please teach me?”

Kyo sighed. “I was afraid of this. Ruki, would you mind having Uruha be Reita’s guide for a few days. Teach him what he needs to know.”

Ruki patted his mate’s head as he sat back up. “Uruha will do it. Shall I as well to keep guard of them?”

“No. I will inform the pack of the situation and the consequences should they try to torment either one of them. Uruha, you will need report to me every night of his progress for the next week.”

“Yes sir.” Both Uruha and Ruki said in unison. A loud grumble filled the room and they all looked at Reita who was looking down.

“Sorry.” He mumbled.

 “You should have said if you were hungry. We would have brought you some food.” Kai said.

“I’m sorry.”

Kyo sighed and thought to himself. ‘This isn’t good. Hopefully, we can help him with his state of mind.’ He spoke. “Reita, you were…trained, not taught how to act. While learning how to properly interact with the pack you’re going to make mistakes. That’s okay. Don’t apologize for little things like being thirsty or hungry. These are natural functions of our bodies. Uruha will teach you everything you need to know. This next week might be a little rough, but if we need to, we can give you an extra week before putting you to work. It depends on your overall progress. Is that clear?”

Reita nodded his head.

“Good. You’re going to eat something. Do you think you’ll have the energy to take a bath or do you want to wait until morning?”

“May I wait until my collar is off?” his voice was small.

Kyo thought for a moment. “I guess it’s pretty obvious for you to want to clean those spots. You may wait until then. Uruha, I’m placing him in your care from this moment on. Everyone else you’re dismissed.”

With that they all left the room except for Kai, Uruha and Ruki. Reita let out a deep breath as he started falling over, but Kai caught him for the second time that night. On instinct Kai wrapped his arms protectively around him.

Uruha patted his back. “You did great. I know it was tough handling the pressure of all those dominant knuckleheads, huh?”

“Uru…”Ruki warned.

“I’m just saying you guys don’t seem to get that we omegas are greatly affected by the pressures you alphas emit. If a bunch of you crowd one of us it basically drains our energy and overwhelms us.”

“We do get it Uruha. Trust me, we know.” Ruki said and kissed his mate’s forehead. “I’ll go get him some food. Get him comfortable.”

Kai waited for him to leave before sitting the pup back up. “Hey, you think you can manage stay awake long enough to eat?”

“Yes.” He mumbled, feeling his chest become warm.

“Do you want some more clothes to sleep in, or will you be okay?” Uruha asked.

“I’m okay with what I have.”

“Alright, I’ll be sleeping in here with you tonight. Ruki may or may not sleep in here too. If not he’ll more than likely sleep outside the door. Are you comfortable with this?”

Reita whimpered. “I… whatever you think is best.”

“You’re a member of this pack now. You matter. You’re feelings matter.” Kai said rubbing the blonde’s back. “If you don’t want Ruki around say so.”

Reita bit his lip and looked down. Uruha sighed. “I’ll have Ruki sleep outside and I’ll stay in here.”

Reita nodded in response.

            As Kyo and the others walked down the staircase he ordered his alphas to gather the pack into the main foyer for an announcement in five minutes. He walked to the side with Shinya close behind before stopping to speak with him.

“Shinya, what is his physical condition?”

Shinya took a deep breath. “Old and new wounds from cage fights. He’s hypersensitive to smell, touch and alpha pressure. These are mostly likely side effects of the drug he was given to force his wolf form out. Hopefully they will go away in time and he’ll be able to handle being around multiple alphas without passing out.”

“Was he straining himself to answer my questions?”

“I believe so. It might be wise to have him speak with Saga or maybe even Teru from Yoshiki’s pack. They do have similar experiences so they could relate to him. Give him advice?”

Kyo shook his head. “I’ll consider it.”

“Kyo,” Melody had approached them. “Everyone is ready.”

“Very well.” Kyo spoke and they walked to the opened area where the pack members were patiently waiting. He climbed onto the center piece that was shaped like melting metal statue. “Listen up. As many of you have noticed we have a new guest here. His name is Reita. He’s a new member of our pack. He’s a special case and needs help with certain things. For the next week or two he’ll be learning how to interact with our pack. Do not punish him or snap at him if he does anything incorrectly. Uruha is in charge of him. If he is not around and Reita makes a mistake, correct it gently and inform Uruha. To all alphas, you are not to group around him. No more than three of you are allowed within five feet of him. He’s recovering from abuse and too much alpha pressure will hurt him. He is suffering from hypersensitivity right now. As we all know, this can be dangerous to his health so be careful around him. He is considered injured and sick so he will be given a fair amount of food and water until he’s able to work for it. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.” They said at the same time

“Good. Another thing. If I find out that any of you purposely hurt him, pressure him, or anything to disrupt his recovery. You will be punished. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re dismissed.”


	3. Omega

            Reita was sitting still as Toshiya and Miyavi set up their equipment around him. Uruha was sitting in the corner of the room watching. Toshiya grazed his fingers on the edge of the collar making Reita shiver.

“This shouldn’t take too long. We’ll have these off soon.”  Toshiya said. “It shouldn’t be too hard. Just need you to stay still, is that clear?”

Reita nodded which made the alpha glare. He looked over at Uruha and the omega nodded as he move to sit next to the blonde. “Reita, you need use your voice. A nod isn’t a proper response to an alpha. It’s okay to do it with other omegas, but you must show respect to our dominants. Now, respond properly.”

“Yes.” Reita mumbled.

Toshiya sighed. “That will do for now. I’ll work on the collar and Miyavi will start on your shackles.”

            With that, they fell into silence. Reita raised his arm for Miyavi to work on the shackle and kept his head down for Toshiya. Uruha watched as the faint sound scratching metal filled the room. After a few minutes the first click was heard and Miyavi smiled as he unhooked the lock. He opened the shackle and released Reita’s wrist. The area was bruised and had a rash on it, but it was now free. Reita carefully rubbed his freed wrist and gave a slight smile. Another click sounded and Reita felt the restraint on his neck loosen. Toshiya carefully opened it further and moved it off the irritated, purpled skin. The blonde slowly placed his free hand on his neck and rubbed it. Tears pricked his eyes.

“Thank you.” He whispered. “Thank you so much.”

Miyavi had released one of Reita’s ankles as Toshiya got the other one off, both ankles were also bruised and had rashes on them. Reita had already started scratching at his freed wrist. Miyavi grabbed his hand to stop him from further irritating the skin and to start working on the last shackle.

“We’ll put some ointment on that after our bath.” Uruha said.

“Thank you.” Reita whispered again.

Toshiya petted the omega’s head. “It’s no problem. Get some medicine on these rashes though. I’m heading out now. I have my job to get to. Miyavi, when you’re done throw these things into the dumpster then head to work.”

“Yes sir.” Miyavi responded. They watched as Toshiya left the room and after a minute or so the final lock clicked. His last shackle was finally removed and he was freed from his restraints. Reita stared at his wrists as Miyavi cleaned up the items and headed out. Uruha gently grabbed his shoulder, catching his attention.

“Let’s take that bath now.”

            Reita felt much better after getting all the unnatural smells off of himself. He and Uruha were sitting outside the bathroom re-bandaging his wounds and rashes. Uruha made sure to rub a rash ointment on the irritated skin before wrapping it up. After that Uruha handed him some clean boxers.

“Don’t worry, they’re unused. You’ll be borrowing my clothes and shoes until we get you some of your own.”

Reita gave a soft smile. “Thank you for everything. Everyone has treated me so kindly.”

“It’s what a pack does. We look out for our own.” Uruha said with a smile. He leaned in and took a big sniff near Reita’s neck, making him blush. “Much better. Your natural scent is faint, but it’s very lovely. It’ll be easier for everyone to identify you now.”

Reita just nodded with a faint blush making Uruha giggle. They got fully dressed before walking out to the foyer and sitting down on the metal statue. They faced each other sitting cross legged.

“Today we start your lessons. Before we begin though, I want you to tell me what you know. Let’s start with the ranks of a pack and what they do.”

Reita scratched the back of his head as he began talking. “Well you have the pack leader, the alphas, and the omegas. The leader commands the pack as a whole, the alphas control the omegas, and the omegas…do whatever they are told to do.”

Uruha’s smile turned down a little. “Not exactly. Let me explain the dynamics of an actual wolf pack. Natural wolves only have two alphas, one male and one female, both of which are leaders of the pack. Below them you have the betas. Betas take up the majority of the pack and these are the ones who take most of the orders from the alphas. There’s usually only one to three omegas in a wolf pack. These are generally old, sick, or the weaker members. Does this make sense?”

“Yes.” Reita nodded.

“Okay, we are humanoid wolf packs. Meaning we change our forms, but remain in our human forms most of the time. We have some similarities to natural wolves, but not much. Our packs consist of one pack leader who’s always an alpha. He or she is only mated to another alpha or a beta. Humanoid packs can have multiple alphas, majority of the pack is omegas, and only one or two are betas. Our one and only beta would be Shinya.”

“Why are the numbers so different?”

Uruha hummed. “Not really sure. The theory is because we remain in human form most of the time and it effects the natural pack dynamics. Now, it’s the leader’s job to protect everyone in their pack and to guide them. Alphas’ jobs are to protect the omegas. Omegas’ jobs are to comfort and to be playful with everyone in the pack. We have to make the environment relaxing and calming.”

“But I thought our jobs were to work for the alphas. Do what whatever they needed us to do.” Reita mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. “Fight, clean, pamper them…so on.”

“No, not at all!” The brunette said softly. “If anything we’re the pampered ones. Yes, we must obey our pack leader. When it comes to alphas it depends. All alphas have strong influences on us omegas. Their scents, their voices, and their alpha pressures have power over us. However, it is different if you’ve been mated through a bond. A bond is where you mate with the ‘one’. Your soulmate. Your fated lover. Your ‘promised’ one. Whatever you want to call it. ”

“Is that how you and Ruki are?”

“Yep. Once an omega is mated through a bond only their dominant alpha has any control over them. So Ruki is the only one who has complete power over me. If Toshiya or Kaoru tried to order me around, my instincts won’t be effected by them. Their voices have no control over me. All it really does is piss my alpha off. Now alpha pressure still affects us and this is really just nature keeping the hierarchy in line. They may not be able to use their voice to command us but the pressure keeps us in our ranks.”

“Alpha pressure…” The blond hummed. “That’s that feeling I get when an alpha is nearby right? The one that makes me feel weak?”

“Yes. The alpha pressure is meant to keep omegas from fighting alphas and stepping out of their place. Another thing that plays into all of this is our pheromones. Alphas may be seen as our dominants, but we have more control over them than they think.” Uruha said smoothly.

“What? How?”

“Our pheromones, my dear Reita.  Our scents are what attracts alphas to us. It makes them want us, love us, protect us, and so on. We tease them with our aromas. We make them chase us in order to smell us and to touch us. Our scents are like drugs to them. It turns them on.” Uruha said seductively. “We can let out a small moan and we can have an alpha begging at our feet. We just lay and let them sniff us for a minute or two, then they’ll be our slave for an hour.”

“Oh…” Reita mumbled, his face turned a light shade of red and the brunette laughed.

“I’ll teach you how to work your magic in no time”

“It’s just… is that why I was given pheromone hiders? So I couldn’t effect my alphas?”

“It’s possible. It was awful for them to do that to you. One of the best things to do is just laying with an alpha and scenting each other. It’s so relaxing.”

“Scenting?” He asked softly

“You don’t know what scenting is either?” Uruha asked. Reita shook his head ‘no’. “Scenting is where you and another pack member lay with each other and share your scents. This is what brings pack members closer together.”

“When do you do it? Is it like a daily thing or…”

Uruha smiled softly. “It’s more of an optional thing but we often scent every night with each other. Though mates tend to only do it together rather than with others.”

“So do I have to do it tonight?”

“You don’t have to, but it will be for the best if you do. I’ll be your partner so you’re not too overwhelmed. You’ll get used to it in a few days. All new members tend to be scented by everyone the first couple of weeks they’re here. It’s so we can get used to your smell and you can get use to ours.”

“What if I’m not good at it?”

“Silly! This is a natural thing. Just trust your instincts.”

Reita nodded but spoke up with another question. “Could you show me really quick?”

Uruha smirked as he grabbed the blonde’s shoulders and forced him to lay on his back. The brunette climbed over him and placed his body down onto the pup’s own body. Their faces inches apart. Uruha moved down and rubbed his cheek against Reita, then rubbed his forehead against the younger one’s neck. Reita swallowed as he let his body go with it. He rubbed his face against the honey blonde and he took in deep breathes of Uruha’s natural fragrance. Uruha rubbed his body up against Reita making him whimper, but the brunette kept going against the pup. Reita gasped as he found his body mimicking the actions. The sweet smell filled his nose and warmth spread throughout his body. Uruha sat up and looked down at the blonde’s dilated droopy eyes and pink cheeks.

Uruha laughed as he pulled himself off Reita and they both sat back up into their sitting positions. Reita scratched the back of his head as he asked, “Is it always intimate?”

“Depending on who you do it with. It might just be you laying with each other or may go a little further.”

“How…much further?”

The honey blonde smirked. “Don’t worry, it never goes past touching.” He said and lifted Reita’s chin to look him in the eyes. “Unless you want it too.” Reita’s face turned blood red which made Uruha laugh even harder. “I’m just messing with you. Don’t worry sex is strictly forbidden for non-mates. Now let’s continue with our lesson shall we?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Tell me what you know about heat cycles.”

“I really don’t know anything.” Reita mumbled. “I was given injections once a month to prevent my cycle. Another omega once told me that it occurs every two to three months and lasts three to seven days.”

“Well, that’s true. Heat cycles only happen to omegas no matter the gender and to the pack leader’s mate. Do you know the purpose of a heat cycle?”

“No. I don’t even know what happens during that week. We weren’t allowed to talk about it.”

Uruha sighed and grabbed Reita’s hand. “The heat cycle has three purposes. First, and this mainly applies to females and male carriers, it’s for reproducing. Second, it’s to lure in potential mates to bond with. Third, it determines the sex that your mate will be.”

“How?”

“We’ll get to that. I’m not going to lie to you the first heat week is the absolute worst. For the first few hours you don’t know what your body wants or what it needs. You have to play with yourself until you figure it out. It’s frustrating because you have all this pressure and this ‘need’ that has to be released and it just won’t go away. It hits you in waves over a period of days. It’s exhausting and sometimes painful.”

“But it gets better right?” Reita asked.

“Oh no, every heat cycle is this. The first time you just don’t know really what to do and until you find your ‘motion’ or ‘spot’.”

“What do you mean?”

Uruha smiled. “Either you hump everything, which means your mate will be female, or you need something anally, which means you mate is male.”

Reita was getting more embarrassed “How will I know when my heat is starting?”

“Well, about twelve to twenty-four hours before it you’ll start to get the sweats, start feeling feverish, and your pheromones go into over drive. By that point we’ll all know.”

Reita scratched the back of his head again. “What if…the suppressants messed me up?”

“Well Shinya said it’ll happen one of two ways. Either you don’t get it because your body is still repairing itself and will take a while for it to start, or the moment you miss your next scheduled dose you’ll start it. We’ll just have to wait and see. Just let us know if you think you’re about to so we can prepare everything for you.

“Like what?”

“Like your room, your items you’ll need, a guard and an omega to take care of you. When you hit your heat, every unmated alpha in a two mile radius is going to want to get in that room with you and take you. And _you_ are going to want them to do it. _You_ are going to be calling them to get to you and mount the hell out of you. So since mated alphas are unaffected by your call, they will protect your room and drive the other alphas away. This is to prevent you from being taken advantage of.  Omegas, especially unmated ones, are extremely vulnerable during this time. That’s why only other omegas are allowed to take care of you.”

“I see. So basically for a few days I’m going to completely lose my mind and the alphas around me will go crazy.”

“Yeah, sounds about right. I told you omegas have more power over alphas than everyone thinks. So, do you want to continue or…”

“We’ve already covered so much. I need time to process it all.” Reita said.

“No problem. Why don’t we take a break?” Uruha said standing up. “Follow me.”

They walked out of the foyer and down the hallway to another stair case. This was longer, but they climbed it to the fourth floor. They entered a hallway and walked down it to the second door on the left and went inside. A few futons laid around but they walked to the glass door and opened it to the balcony. They stepped out and looked out at the city. Uruha took in a deep breath and leaned on the railing. Reita smiled as he let the cool wind hit his face.

“It feels nice out here.” He said softly.

“You can come here anytime you want to.” Uruha said. “You’re free to explore our part of the city, but you should take an alpha with you until you’re more familiar with the area. There is another pack that’s in control of the other side of city, it’s their territory. You are to never go to that side of the city. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I need to teach you one last thing for the day. How to greet members when they come home. You don’t have to do it for everyone that comes in. But you need to when Kyo comes home and some of the alphas.”

Reita turned to him as he walked closer. He placed his hands on the blonde’s chest and pressed their bodies together. He rubbed his cheek against Reita’s and down to his neck where he moved back up. He stepped back and smiled.

“That was a greeting. You try it now.”

Reita swallowed hard before stepping forwards. He made the same motions as Uruha did before he stepped back with his head down

“That was good!”

            After practicing, the two went back inside and Uruha gave him the tour of the factory. Where they usually sleep which was the foyer and the rooms in it. He showed Reita where all the bathrooms were, the extra bedrooms, the kitchen, the laundry room and so on until he felt that the blonde was comfortable to walk around on his own. For the next few hours they reviewed what Reita had learned until finally pack members started returning home. Uruha happily dragged Reita to the entrance as Kyo, Kaoru, and a few alphas were making their way inside.

“Just like we practiced.” Uruha whispered and pushed Reita towards their leader. The blonde stood awkward in front of Kyo as he waited to be greeted. He swallowed before stepping forward.

Just like he practiced, he pressed his body against Kyo’s a spoke softly. “Welcome home.” He rubbed his face into Kyo’s neck before stepping back with his head down.

The short man smirked before forcing Reita’s head up to look him in the eyes. “Well done.” The compliment made his heart beat faster and his lips to curve up into a smile. “Did Uruha go over everything?”

“Yes, sir.” He whispered.

“Good.” Kyo said then walked away with Shinya close behind. Reita walked forward and repeated the greeting to the alphas. Kai smiled as Reita gave him a greeting and blushed. The brunette placed a hand on the blonde’s forehead.

“You’re fever seems to be almost gone. Did Shinya give you some medicine?”

“He left me some this morning to take when I woke up.” Reita said with his head down. Kai lifted Reita’s head up and looked him in the eyes.

“Good.”

The blonde shivered, but was pushed to the side when another omega approached them and greeted Kai.

“Hey Nao.” The brunette said awkwardly before being dragged away by the younger omega.

            As the night time grew closer the last of the pack came home and were finally properly introduced to the blonde. It wasn’t too much longer before food was being brought out and everyone was grabbing their shares. Reita hesitated as he watched everyone grab their food and sit around their pack leader. He swallowed hard at the smell of roast beef potatoes. His mouth watered at the thought of the warm meal. He felt an alpha walk up to him and he ducked his head.

“Why aren’t you in line to get food? It’s the omegas’ turn.” Kai asked, lifting the blonde’s head once more.

“I didn’t…do anything to earn it.” He mumbled out.

“That’s okay. You’re hurt right now. You’ll make up for it when you get to working, okay. So go ahead and get in line.”

“Yes, sir.” He whimpered and before he knew it he was walking to the line. When he was standing there he felt suddenly happy. It’s been a long time since he felt anything from following an order. He smiled softly to himself.

            After everyone was finish eating, Reita noticed a few dragging others away from the crowd. He watched as they laid down on a futon and started rubbing against each other. He saw the alpha from earlier, Kai, walk away with Nao. Omegas with alphas, alphas with alphas, omegas with omegas. It didn’t matter because they were strengthening their bonds. Uruha walked up to him.

 “Are you finished eating?” Reita nodded his head and Uruha smiled. “Leave your bowl and follow me.”

Reita did as he was told and followed the brunette to the end of the foyer where an empty futon was waiting for them. They kicked off their shoes before sitting down on it. Uruha smiled at him and patted his shoulder, but Reita stared out at everyone.

“Uruha, could you tell me about everyone here?”

“Tomorrow. Lay down.”

Reita shook his head. “No. I’d like to at least know everyone’s names.”

            Uruha groaned but decided to play along for now. He started with the closest members. Toshiya and Miyavi both worked as locksmiths in downtown. Miyavi was mated with Melody who owned a small grocery store a few blocks down. Uruha and another omega named Takeru worked for her. There was Kaoru who worked in Kyo’s restaurant and bar along with IV. Kai owned a café that had Ruki, Nao, and Hitsugi working in it. There was Tsuzuku who was a hair stylist and had his own shop near Kyo’s restaurant. Finally, Byou and Shinya own a clinic where Shou and Hiroto both worked. There were quite a few members here and so Uruha quickly explained their ranks too. The alphas were Kyo, Toshiya, Kai, Melody, Kaoru, Byou, and Ruki. Shinya was the beta. That left the omegas: Uruha, Shou, Miyavi, Takeru, IV, Hiroto, Nao, Hitsugi, Tsuzuku, and Reita himself.

            Uruha pulled Reita down and laid against him. Reita took in a deep breath as they rubbed their cheeks together and cuddled. Reita glanced around the room and saw everyone doing the same thing. He closed his eyes and focused on Uruha’s aroma as he drifted off to sleep.

 


	4. Put To Work

            Reita flinched as the sound of glass breaking filled his ears. He looked down at the mess of broken mugs and coffee. He shook as he sat down on the ground and started cleaning up the mess. He tried to ignore the stares from the customers around him, but it was making him feel more nervous. He felt a presence behind him and flinched when Kai knelt down next to him.

“I’m sorry.” The blonde whimpered.

Kai sighed, but smiled at the pup. “It’s okay. You’re still getting use to everything. Let’s get this cleaned up then shall we?”

Reita nodded with a blush and they worked together to clean up the floor. Within five minutes it was spotless and Ruki was working on redoing the order. The blonde felt a warm sensation on his back when Kai pressed his hand on it.

“You’re doing fine. Try not to be so nervous ok?”

“Yes sir” He mumbled with a blush on his cheeks. He shivered when Kai removed his hand and walked away. Hitsugi walked past him and smiled as he grabbed the next order of pastries. His red hair was mostly covered by his bandana, but the piercings all in his face is probably what makes him feel threatening. In reality he’s pretty calming and kind. Ruki rung the bell alerting Reita that the order was finished.

“Don’t drop it this time.” Ruki ordered.

“I-I won’t.” Reita responded with a shaky voice. He had been working at the café for two days now and he’s dropped his trays at least five times. This was his second time today and Ruki was getting pissed. He was exerting the pressure on Reita to show his displeasure which was actually making him feel worse.

            He managed the next hour without another accident before walking to the back where Nao and Kai were working together on pastries. Reita has caught the dark haired wolf rubbing more and more on Kai. It was obvious that Nao was trying to court him and it was obvious that Kai wasn’t falling for it. Reita had walked around them to the fridge in the back right of the store. He grabbed two jugs of milk and started heading back to the front.

“Are you doing okay up there?” Kai had asked and it made Reita freeze. Kai’s voice was very soothing to him.

He smiled at the alpha. “Yes, thank you.”

“Keep it up. You’re doing great.”

A spark of warmth filled Reita’s chest. He nodded and quickly headed towards the front, but in the process caught Nao glaring at him.

            He kept working hard at the front serving the customers and taking lessons from Ruki on how to make a few drinks. It was about one in the afternoon when Shou walked in wearing his rainbow scrubs. He walked up to the register for a carryout. Reita walked up to take his order.

“I need two blacks, a caramel Frappuccino with extra caramel, and a triple venti soy no foam latte.” Shou said and handed over a bill. Reita was still typing it in and took him a moment before tallying it up and taking the money. He gave Shou his change and went to give Ruki the order, but saw the alpha already working on the to-go cups.

Reita smiled before excusing himself to go to his tables. Hitsugi was working the other half of the café as Ruki worked on drink orders and as Nao worked on the pastries in the back. Kai helped at every station and walked to each table to talk to customers. Reita had found out on the first day that Kai opened this café and that it was his ‘baby’. He took great pride in working here and taking care of the people who came in.

            It was becoming late, they closed up the café and were cleaning up now. Reita was helping wash dishes in the back as Kai and Ruki counted the money and Hitsugi cleaned the front end. Reita placed a plate in the dishwasher and turned to find Nao glaring at him with his arms crossed.

“You listen, and you listen well.” He growled. “Kai is mine. Stay away from him.”

Reita gave him a slight glare. “If Kai wants to talk to me I’m not going to stop him.”

“Kai is going to be my mate. I won’t stand for him messing with an outsider like you.”

“Outsider…I’m a member of this pack. And Kai is an alpha, he can mess with whoever he wants to.” Reita snapped back.

The brunette let out a low growl. “You’re not a member of this pack. I doubt Kyo will let you stay as much you mess up. This is your third job assignment and you still can’t handle the work. This pack doesn’t have time or the food to waste on you.”

Reita didn’t want to show that those words hit him hard. He made a ‘humph’ noise before grabbing a few more dishes to load into the machine. Nao pushed into him as he left the kitchen to work in the front instead. Not long after the confrontation Kai was calling for them to leave.

            That night Reita played more with his food that actually eating it. Uruha was to his right and Hitsugi to his left. He had grown close to the two of them the most. Uruha was there for him since day one and taught him what it meant to be in a true pack. The third night here Hitsugi asked if they could scent each other. And since then they more or less ate together and hung out during their free time. All of his injuries had healed up nicely, so Hitsugi and Byou were able to show him around the city the day before he started working. Work. Reita sighed at the thought of all the failures he’s made in the past month. First at Melody’s grocery store where he messed up stocking the shelves several times and he kept messing up the display cases. Then at Kyo’s restaurant he couldn’t figure out how to make drinks and was overwhelmed by the amount of orders he would have to take at once. Now he’s messing up at the café. Sure it wasn’t as busy as Kyo’s workplace, but he’s still managed to be a fuck up.

“Are you okay?” Uruha asked.

“Yeah.” He sighed.

“You sure?” His question was answered with the usual nod. Reita looked up when felt an alpha near him. Kaoru knelt down in front of him with a smile.

“Are you going to bed alone tonight?”

“Yes.” Reita responded with a faint blush.

“May I scent you tonight then?”

“Sure.” He said softly.

Kaoru smiled petted the blonde head. “I’ll be waiting for you then.”

Reita smiled as he walked away. Scenting. The way pack members familiarize with one another and strengthen the pack as a whole. Too bad he wasn’t feeling much like a member. Nao really got to him.

            Reita finally finished what was left of his meal, bathed and headed to the foyer where everyone was laying down for the night. He spotted Kaoru already laying down on his futon so he started walking over to him. On the way he spotted Ruki on top of Uruha kissing him. A warm hand grabbed his shoulder and he looked behind him to find Kai smiling at him.

“Would you like to scent with me?”

“Um…I can’t.” Reita sighed. “I already told Kaoru I would lay with him tonight.”

Kai looked a little disappointed for a split second before giving him a toothy smile. “Alright next time then.” He rubbed his hand down the blonde’s arm. “And Reita, your natural scent has really came out since your first day here. You smell…sweet.”

Reita felt his whole body burn from the compliment. “Th-thank you.”

“Go on now. I’ll wake you in the morning for work.”

Reita nodded which earned him a small, almost unnoticeable giggle from the alpha, but he did notice. He’s been noticing everything about Kai these past few days. His dimpled smile, his soft hands, his long fingers, his strong scent, and his voice that made Reita shiver. Reita shook his head as he made his way to Kaoru’s futon and sat on it. An arm immediately brought him down on the alpha’s chest. Kaoru rubbed his cheek on Reita’s forehead.

“Do you like him?” Kaoru asked.

‘Huh? Who?”

“Kai. I saw you two talking and I saw how you acted.”

“He’s…nice. I…Nao told me that he and Kai were going to be mates. I shouldn’t get in the middle of that.”

“He’s still at it?” Kaoru sighed. “Kai already took Nao as a mate once before, but they didn’t connect. At least Kai didn’t feel a connection and he broke it off. Nao has been trying to get back with him for the past year. We were hoping he would get over it on his own, but he just seems more determined now.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Reita asked rubbing his face a little into the alpha’s neck.

“Nothing. It’s not causing problems and Kai seems to have a handle on things so we let it be. It’s mostly just him being immature. Just ignore whatever he said to you. As long as he hasn’t threatened you you’ll be alright.”

“K.” He said softly. That was the end of the conversation. Reita heard a clank and looked up enough to see Ruki dragging Uruha by the arm up the staircase. After they disappeared into a room with a door the silence allowed them all to drift asleep.

            They next day was going a lot better for Reita at the café. He handled the morning rush without an incident and the lunch rush was going pretty steady for a while. Ruki often patted his back and neck telling him when he did a good job which made Reita feel so good. He was making the alphas happy. He was doing a great job. It all changed, however, a little after two. Nao was placing pastries in the glass box as Reita was grabbing a table’s order of coffee. Nao looked around and saw Ruki dealing with a customer at the register, Kai and Hitsugi were both talking to customers at the tables. As Reita walked behind him, he stuck his foot back and caught Reita’s ankle, tripping him. The loud sound of the glass shattering brought all attention to the blonde. Ruki groaned. “Reita…”

The blonde climbed to his feet and glared at Nao. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Nao retorted, feigning innocence. 

“Why did you trip me?” He shouted. Everyone in the café was staring at this point and Kai was walking over to them.

“I didn’t touch you and you know it. You just want to blame someone else for your own clumsiness!”

“Nao, Reita!” Kai snapped making them both flinch. He wasn’t happy at either of them. He pushed his pressure onto them so they were under his control. “Nao to the back. Reita, clean up your mess.”

“Yes, sir.” They responded and their bodies moved automatically to carry out the orders. Reita shook for the rest of the day and dropped another tray. His happiness from earlier had been drained away and he was acting on autopilot. Ruki took notice of Reita’s interesting behavior, but decided to address it later if he remembered.

            The café was closed and they were cleaning up the store. Nao and Reita were both mopping the front of the store. Hitsugi was cleaning the kitchen as Kai and Ruki counted down their earnings. Nao and Reita refused to make eye contact with each other and stayed on opposite sides of the café. Finally Nao let his anger get the better of him. He sat his mop to the side and walked over to the blonde and growled at him.

“You piece of shit. You just had to make a scene didn’t you? Now Kai is pissed off at me.”

“It’s your own damn fault! You tripped me. Why would you do that? I could have gotten hurt.” Reita snapped.

“Who cares about you?” Nao scoffed. The blonde shook his head and turned away from the other omega. Something snapped inside Nao at that moment and he growled out. “Don’t turn your back on me!”

He gripped Reita’s neck and slammed him down on a nearby table. There was a sickening ‘crack’ as the blonde’s head connected with the corner and he fell motionless onto the floor. Nao gasped as he saw a puddle of blood forming on the floor around Reita’s head.

“Oh shit…” He took a deep breath and looked to the kitchen and waited. It didn’t seem like any of the others heard anything. He paced the floor for a minute to think before taking his mop in his hand and walking to Reita. He dropped it beside Reita and started shouting as he knelt down. “Help! _Help! Kai! Ruki!_ ”

Hitsugi was first to run out to find Nao shaking Reita’s body trying to him to wake up and blood mixing in with the chemicals on the floor.

            Ruki and Kai were going over the checks they had when they heard faint yelling. Ruki looked back at the door. He muttered a soft ‘what the hell?’ as they stood up and walked out. They came out to see the scene. They felt dread in their stomachs as they ran over and pushed the omegas back from Reita.

“What happened?” Kai barked.

“He…he…we were mopping and I just heard something. When I looked over he was gone. I think he slipped and fell.” Nao whimpered. “I…I…”

“Call the clinic, if Shinya is still there tell him to stay. We’re taking Reita there.” Ruki ordered Hitsugi and the redhead ran to the phone. Kai carefully rolled Reita onto his back and gasped at the blood covering half his face. A large gash was on the left side of his forehead and was pouring out blood.

“We have to stop the bleeding. Nao go get a towel now!” Kai ordered. He gently rubbed Reita’s cheek and carefully nudged his shoulder. “Reita? Reita can you hear me? Are you conscious? Reita? Come on wake up.”

His voice seemed to be coming through a little because Reita’s face twitched. Hitsugi made his way back to them. “Shinya’s waiting. He said to come through the back door.”

“Here!” Nao shouted as he ran back and handed over a white dish towel. Ruki took it and gently pressed it against the gash. The blonde let out a loud whimper before opening his eyes.

“Reita, Reita stay awake!” Kai said. “That’s an order, stay awake okay.”

“ye…”His voice was faint and his eyes were droopy. Ruki managed to tie the towel around the blonde’s head but it didn’t help that much. They worked together to get the blonde onto Kai’s back and they left.

             The clinic was an urgent care one and it was only a few blocks down the street. They ran through the crowded sidewalks and dashed across crosswalks. They were running up to the back of the clinic ten minutes later and Ruki banged on the door. Hiroto was the one to open it and let them all in.

“Take him down to exam room three.” He told them. Kai carried him to it and they carefully laid him on the bed as Shinya walked in and donned some gloves.

“Sit him up and take that off his head.” He ordered and walked to them. Kai raised Reita up and supported him as Hitsugi took the towel off letting blood flow down some more.

“Oh shit.” Shinya said looking at the deep gash. “What did you do, Reita?”

“Mmmdonknow…”His words were mushed up together.

“Concussion.” Byou said in the doorway. “Hitsugi, Nao go to the waiting room. We don’t need to crowd him.” The two quickly did as the alpha had told them and left the room. 

“After I stitch him up, we’ll need to get X-rays and an MRI.” Shinya said. “Byou would you get the machines ready?”

“Yeah. Let me know when you’re finished. Shou, come with me.” Byou ordered and the omega out in the hall followed him. Hiroto went into the drawers to grab the items Shinya needed and unpackaged them.

            It took about thirty minutes to clean the wound and stitch it up. After it was cleaned up they realized it wasn’t as bad as it looked. The blood had made it look a lot larger when it was about an inch and a half long. The cut was more to the left just above his eye and moved towards his temple. By the time they were finished Reita was sitting up on his own, but he was still a little dazed.

“Do you remember what happened, Reita?” Shinya asked as he tossed his gloves.

Reita groaned and rubbed his head. “Hurts.”

“Yeah we know. We need to know what happened.”

“Was mopping…” He answered.

“Did you slip?”

“I don’t remember.”

Shinya nodded. “Okay, let’s check out your brain.”

            Ruki and Kai were told to stay in the room as they took Reita out to get his head scanned. Kai kept pacing the room and Ruki just stared out the window and watched as the snow fell from the sky. It wasn’t too long before they were walking back in and this time Reita seemed more alert or at least enough to walk on his own. They noticed however the areas around his left eye and around the cut were turning purple. He sat back down on the chair waiting to hear the verdict from Shinya.

“Well, good news is he doesn’t have any internal bleeding and his brain isn’t swollen. Bad news, he has a small skull fracture about a centimeter long. It’s not serious, but will take about three months or so to fully heal. Reita try not to hit your head anymore, okay?”

“Yeah I’ll try.” He answered more clearly this time.

“Go wait out in the waiting room with the others. We’ll be out in a minute.”

“K.” He sighed and stepped out. Shinya closed the door behind him and looked at the two alphas.

“We have a serious problem. Byou and I agreed that we don’t think this was an accident of Reita being clumsy.”

“What do you mean? How do you know?” Ruki asked.

Shinya took a deep breath. “This is an urgent care clinic, guys. I see minor head injuries every day. I see people who’ve tripped, slipped, and fall onto a floor and they _sometimes_ get a cut on their head. His head hit something like a counter or table or something that has an edge. A slip and fall rarely has enough force behind it to crack a skull.”

“Are you telling me someone deliberately slammed his head into something?” Kai asked.

“Yes, I am. Who was with him when it happened?”

“Nao.” The alpha sighed. “But he said Reita slipped and fell. Would Nao really do something like this?”

“We can’t really say…” Ruki sighed. “Will Reita remember what happened?”

Shinya shrugged. “Sometimes patients remember sometimes they don’t. We just have to wait and see. I have to tell Kyo about this. If we are suspecting Nao, but have no evidence then he’ll probably just move Reita to another job to keep them separated.”

Kai nodded with a sigh. “Let’s head home.”


	5. Broken and Burning

            Uruha walked into the dark room and out to the balcony where his friend was sitting on the railing looking out at the moon. Uruha looked at the snow covered city before looking over at his friend.

“Reita? Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine” He whispered. It had been three days since his incident at the café and Shinya told Kyo he needed to rest. They kept asking him if remembered what had happened and he did, but he told them that he couldn’t remember anything other than mopping. Kyo told him he couldn’t work at the café anymore and that really brought him down. He started sleeping up here alone and started telling the members he didn’t want to scent with them.

            Kyo was worried because he had skipped dinner and so he sent Uruha to check up on him. Uruha stood there looking out at the busy city. The wind blew and he shivered. That’s when he noticed Reita was just sitting here wearing only a black tank top and a pair of grey sweat pants.

“Aren’t you cold?” He asked.

Reita shook his head. “I like the cold. Makes you feel for a while, then it numbs your body to where you can’t feel anymore.”

“You need to come inside and warm up before you get sick.” Uruha said as he moved to grab his friend’s hand, but Reita pulled away. “Why did you miss dinner?”

Reita shrugged his shoulders. “Wasn’t hungry I guess.”

“Still…you should have at least sat with us. Kyo is worried about you.” Uruha said placing his hand on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Kyo…is going to make me leave soon.” Reita sighed out.

“What? What makes you think that?” The honey blonde gasped out.

“Because...I’m broken.”

“Reita, you’re not broken. Where did this come from?”

The blonde took a deep breath to control his emotions. “I _am_ broken. I can’t do anything right. I keep messing everything up and I’m far too clumsy. Plus it’s been well over a month and my heat cycle still hasn’t hit and…I can’t change my form yet… I feel so damaged.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Uruha asked. “You don’t have to deal with all this alone. We’re here for you. We’re your pack, your family.”

“No…I’m not. Nao… he said I wasn’t.”

“You idiot.” Uruha giggled. “Don’t let what Nao of all people tell you that. Kyo is the pack leader not him. And if Kyo says you’re one of us then you are.

Reita shook his head. “Yeah well I’m still broken…”

“Hey, your old pack leader messed up your internal system. Shinya said this could happen. Your body just needs to adjust and get back on track. Your heat cycle will come, I promise.”

“But until then…I won’t be able to have a mate will I?” Reita mumbled.

Uruha gave him a puzzled look then gave him a grin. “Why Reita, do you have a crush on an alpha?”

The blonde shrugged with a smile “Maybe…”

“Oh, tell me, tell me!” The other omega said jumping up and down.

“It’s nothing…just when he… it’s embarrassing.” Reita said with a small smile, but the look on his friend’s face made him give in. “When he talks, I just shiver and when he compliments me I feel like I’m melting. When he touches me…I don’t know how to explain it. I just feel so warm and calm. I feel so…I don’t know…”

“Oh my god…Reita, who is it?”

“I’m not telling you!” He laughed.

“No seriously, Reita. That’s sounds more like a bond, not like a playful mate.”

Reita looked at him to find him with an amazed expression. “Are you serious?”

“Yes!”

“No…it can’t be.” Reita sighed. “That can’t happen to me. I’m not…I can’t…I didn’t even know about bonds until I came here.”

“Reita…”

“Hey I’m tired. Kyo has me starting at the clinic tomorrow and I really don’t want to fuck up again. I’m going to bed. Please don’t tell anyone about our talk.”

Uruha nodded. He watched as Reita turned and hopped back onto the balcony. They closed the glass door behind them and Reita went to a futon as Uruha walked to the door.

“Goodnight Reita.”

“Night.”

The past two weeks he skipped dinner often and has gone to sleep alone. These were usually days he’d seen Nao flirting with Kai or asking him to sleep together. Sometimes he just ignored it and slept in the foyer. He didn’t know why he was getting so jealous. They barely know each other and they spend less time together now than they did before. Through all this though, he managed to miss all the looks Kai was sending his way. Kai’s worry for Reita grew with every meal he missed and every night he was alone. The alpha closed his eyes at night thinking about the new omega and how he wanted to smell his vanilla scent.

            Uruha had stayed quiet during those two weeks. He didn’t bring it up or tell anyone about the conversation they had on the balcony and Reita was thankful for it. Reita’s head healed pretty quickly and by this point he just had faint mark. When he started at the clinic he was nervous, but it turned out filing paperwork was hard to mess up. All he had to do was check people in, have new patients fill out forms, type the new information in, and run insurance cards through the system. He sat at the desk most of the day and only got up to go to the break room to eat during lunch. One of them usually left and grabbed food and coffee for everyone else. Reita still hadn’t gone yet because they didn’t want him getting lost and be late coming back. He wished they had more faith in him, but then again he had little faith in himself to do it too.

            Reita sighed as he finished typing the file into the system. He placed the paper in a folder and placed that in a pile to shelve later. He stretched out when he felt a presence behind him. He turned in the chair to find Byou smiling at him.

“Hey, would you get lunch today?”

This was a surprise and Reita smiled. “Sure.”

“Great. Here’s the list of what we want. Don’t forget our coffee, too.” Byou said with a smile. “You can leave now.”

“Alright, be back soon.” He said. He grabbed his coat and headed out..

            His first stop was a fast food place since coming back he passes the coffee shop. It only made sense. He placed the large order and waited for about ten minutes before he was handed two paper bags of food. He rushed down to the coffee shop hoping he would make it back to the clinic by lunch time. He stepped inside and the familiar scent filled his nose. He smiled as he walked up to register were Kai was handing an order over. The brunette smiled at Reita.

“Hey. What are you doing here?”

Reita lifted the bags of food. “They finally trust me to get lunch.”

“Ahh, so the regular drinks then?” Kai asked already typing in the orders. Reita smiled and just handed him the bills and exact change. Ruki waved before he started making the to-go order for him.

“Hey, do you think you can carry it all?” Kai asked.

“I should be okay.” Reita said with a shrug.

“Why don’t I help?” The alpha asked but before he could answer, Kai turned to Ruki and started talking to him. “Hey, I’m going to walk Reita over to the clinic. You’ll be okay right?”

“We’ll be fine.” He said handing over the cardboard cup holder with all their drinks inside.

            They headed down the sidewalk taking their time. They gently nudged each other and tapped each other’s hands as they walked. They stopped at the crosswalk just before the clinic to wait and Kai leaned over taking a big sniff of Reita’s neck. “Sweet as always. I miss you scent.”

Reita blushed. “We live together…”

“Yeah, but you never want to be around me.”

“That’s because you have Nao hanging off your shoulder where ever you go.” Reita said without realizing and quickly tried to correct himself. “I-I mean—”

“It’s okay. I know you’re jealous.” Kai said with a smile.

“I am not!” Reita said with a small laugh. The light turned for them to cross and they started walking. “I’m not jealous of him.”

“Oh, so you don’t mind us hugging?”

“Nope.”

“Scenting?”

“No.”

Kai smiled. “You don’t mind us…kissing?”

They were in front of the clinic by this point. Reita stopped in his tracks with wide eyes and he turned to the brunette with a slight glare. “You two kiss?”

“Maybe…maybe not.” Kai said as walked to the back of the clinic. Reita followed behind.

“Oh no, you can’t just say something like that and not answer my question. Kai!” He groaned as they made it to the back. There was a bench and table about five feet from the back door and Kai placed the cups on it.

“You didn’t answer my question first.”

“Wha…I…fine… yes. I’m jealous that you spend more time with him than with me. I’m jealous when you touch him, when you let him hang off your arm, and just the thought of… of you two…kissing…” Reita stammered. Great he was flustered. “Now answer my question.”

Kai bit his bottom lip before answering. “Yeah, we’ve kissed.”

Reita didn’t know what he was expecting to feel, but he felt angry. He didn’t know why though. Why should he feel angry? It’s not like Kai was his or anything. He found himself turning and walking to the clinic door, but Kai caught his arm. He turned Reita around and took the bags from his hands. He placed them on the snowy table then step forward and Reita stepped back. They kept moving until Reita’s back was pushed against the wall and Kai was pushing against the omega. He leaned down and sniffed in Reita’s scent.

“We tried being mates a few months back so of course we kissed. I tried making love to him, but it didn’t work out. So I broke it off. Since you’ve been here all I’ve been thinking about is you. These past couple of weeks all I’ve thought about were your eyes, your smell… your lips.”

He grabbed the omega’s chin and held it as he placed a soft kiss on the chapped lips. Reita let out a whimper as heat spread throughout his body. He pushed forward to kiss back. It was just soft pecks at first to test the waters. Reita hesitated at first, but then licked at Kai’s lips. The brunette’s eyes dilated before they closed and he moved his tongue to meet Reita’s. He pushed his body more into the blonde’s, pushing his leg between the omega’s thighs. Kai allowed his hands to explore the trapped body. Reita moaned out as he felt Kai’s hands slip under his shirt and hold his hips. He found one hand clenching at Kai’s shirt and his other hand grabbing his brunette hair.

            They had lost track of time. Reita didn’t know how long they had been kissing, but it was long enough for his lips to swell. His jacket had fallen to his elbows as Kai attacked his neck with rough bites and his hands explored under Reita’s shirt. Reita faintly heard the door nearby open, but they didn’t pull apart until a cough caught their attention. They looked at the door to see Byou smirking with a raised brow and Shinya looking at them with his arms crossed.

“Told you I smelled him.” Byou said.

“How long were you out here?” Shinya asked. “And where’s our food we’re hungry?”

Kai pointed at the table and Byou clicked his tongue as walked out to grab it all. “Better not have gotten cold.”

“Reita…you coming?” Shinya asked as Byou stepped back in with everything.

Before Reita could answer, Kai grabbed his chin and turned head back towards him. “He’ll be in soon.” Kai then captured the blonde’s lips again and Reita allowed him to. His omega instincts were kicking in, telling him to give complete control to this alpha. His alpha. Reita pulled away and moved his head back to expose his neck. Kai gave a low, satisfied growl as he bit down on the pale flesh. Reita moaned out, closing his eyes as his body was filled with heat.

            At some point Reita started to feel like he was floating. He couldn’t explain it. It felt like Kai was making him high and he loved it. When Kai bit his neck it didn’t hurt, but it sent waves of warmth through his body and made him moan. His pants were slowly growing faster with each motion. Kai pushed his pressure onto the blonde making him whither. Every time Reita moaned, it made Kai want to take the blonde right then and there.

“…Kai!” His eye shot open and he glared at who interrupted him. Byou was standing there. “You need to stop. Reita has to get back to work.”

‘Already?’ He thought. ‘How long were we doing this?’ He looked at the slumped, flushed blonde in his arms and growled. He reluctantly gave in and gave Reita small kisses on his cheek. “Reita” He said gently. “We have to stop. Come on, snap out of it.”

A few more gentle kisses and him coaxing brought Reita out of his dreamlike state. He rubbed his head and sighed. “It’s over already?”

Byou was staring in shock, but shook his head and put on a straight face. “Reita.” He caught the blonde’s attention. “You have to get back to work.”

Dazed, Reita nodded his head and moved to go back in. Byou stopped him to fix his clothes, and then let him go. After he got passed Byou, the alpha looked at Kai who was getting back to himself. “Did…did you two just go into a pressure sphere?”

Kai smiled as he stepped back and turned to head back to the café.

            When Kai made it back he quickly got behind the counter to help with the line. He and Ruki stood shoulder to shoulder making drinks. Ruki sniffed the air to find Reita’s scent nearby. He leaned in a little more and sniffed again. Kai stepped back to hand the order to his customer. They continued the process until the rush died down and the only customers were those at the tables. Ruki grabbed Kai’s arm and dragged him to the back room. He pushed the brunette and against the wall to lean in. He took a deep breath then pushed off.

“You’re covered in Reita’s scent. Not just that, but some seriously strong omega pheromones are all over you.” Ruki stated with a smile. “What did you do?”

Kai gave a toothy grin. “Oh just a little…connecting.”

Ruki’s eyes grew wide. “Is he a potential bond mate?”

“I don’t know man, but we kissed and it was amazing. Not like any normal mate I’ve had before.”

Nao ears caught this and he growled. He stepped out from behind his station and walked to where they were standing. “What are you talking about?”

Ruki patted his friend’s shoulder with a smile. “That’s all you man. Have fun.” With that he went back to the front. Kai sighed as he was left alone with his ex-mate.

“Nothing. Get back to work.”

            Reita groaned behind the desk and Shou, who was sitting next to him, gave a small laugh. “You okay over there? Did, ah, Kai do too much damage to your neck?”

Reita turned red. He came back in with five bloody bite marks on his neck that Shinya proceeded to cover with Band-Aids. Then of course, Byou blurted out to everyone that it was Kai who had done it which started a bunch of questions from them all. Luckily they had to get back to work and didn’t have time to interrogate him further.

“No.” He groaned sitting back. He grabbed a folder a started fanning himself. “It’s just hot in here.”

“It’s the same temperature as earlier.”

He groaned even more. “I haven’t been able to cool off since…”

“Oh,” Shou laughed. “He got you fired up, huh?”

“Shut up.” He said putting his head down, but still fanning himself. “It’s been twenty minutes already.”

Shou smirked and continued to make fun of him, but then another twenty minutes passed and then finally a whole hour. Reita felt like he was getting hotter and he was starting to sweat. Shou took notice of this and the joking stopped.

“I’m going to get Shinya.” Shou said and walked away. He made his way down the hall to the exam room where the beta was talking to a mother about her daughter’s sprain wrist. He knocked on the door and caught their attentions. “I need to talk to you.”

“Can it wait a minute, I’m almost done.” Shinya said turning back around.

“I don’t think it can.”

Shinya sighed and excused himself to walk out of the room. “What is it?”

“I think Reita is about to start his heat.” Shou said.

“What?”

“He’s says he’s feeling hot and he’s sweating. It’s been like this for an hour now.”

“Okay have Reita meet me in the break room.” Shinya ordered and poked his head back into the room with the patient. “I’m sorry, an emergency came up. I’m going to have my partner finish explaining everything and answer any questions you have. Please excuse me.”

He walked down to Byou and informed of what happened before walking to the break room where Reita was fanning himself at the table. “How long has this been going on? Since morning, lunch, when?”

Reita groaned. “It started when…Kai and I were…you know…that.”

Shinya started examining the omega. He thought to himself as he went over his mental check list. ‘Rising body temperature. Large amounts of perspiration. Flushed face and arms.’ Reita moaned when his neck was touched. ‘Sensitive neck.’ “Reita. You’re about to start your heat week.”

The shocked blonde looked up at him. “What?”

“You heard me. I’ll call for an alpha to come get you and take you home.” He said and moved to the phone on the wall as Reita slumped in his chair in shock. Shinya dialed the familiar number and waited.

“Silver Fangs, Kyo speaking.”

“Hey, it’s Shinya. Listen it looks like Reita is about to go into heat. Can you send an alpha here to escort him home?”

“Are you sure?” Kyo asked. Shinya looked over at Reita and took a big whiff of the air around him. There was a faint sweet musk in the air.

“Positive.”

“I’ll call Ruki. I’ll see you when you get home tonight.”

“Yeah, see you then.” Shinya hung up with that and got a rag wet to wipe Reita’s face.

            Kai was filling a cup up when the phone rang and he answered it with smile. “Thanks for calling Kai’s Café, this is Kai how can I help you?”

“It’s Kyo, put Ruki on the line.”

“Yo, Ru, Kyo wants a word with you.” He shaking the phone in the air. Ruki grabbed it and continued making the next order that was up.

“Ruki here. Right. I’m on my way.” He said and hung up. “Sorry Kai, duty calls. I have to go.”

“What why?”

“You’ll find out later!” And with that he left.


	6. Don't Call Out His Name

            Ruki dragged Reita inside the foyer and up the stair case. He walked all the way down to a door that had a key in its lock. He unlocked it and waved for the blonde to go in. The room had an extra-large white futon in the middle of the room with two pillows. Off to the left was a chair and a couple of fans. To the right was a small fridge, cabinet, sink, and toilet. On the back wall was a window, but Ruki had pulled down a metal cover and locked it. Reita had thrown his jacket to the side and almost ripped his shirt pulling it off. He wiped the sweat of his forehead with his hand.

“Now what?” He asked.

“This is going to be your home for the next few days. You’re not allowed to leave this room until your heat is over meaning you’re going to be locked in here. It’s not only for your safety but ours as well. Only omegas will be allowed in here from now on and it’s only to resupply your fridge. Since this is your first heat, Uruha may be allowed to sleep here and keep you company. To make sure you’re regularly hydrated and fed.”

Reita nodded as the alpha stepped outside the door. “Where are you going?”

“Right here. I’m first on guard duty. It’ll alternate between Melody, Kyo, and myself until your cycle is finished. I’m going to close the door now okay.”

Reita nodded and watched as the door shut. He felt suddenly claustrophobic and hot. He pulled his pants off and tossed them to the side then untied his noseband to do the same. Next he plugged in a fan and turned it on facing the futon where he sat down. He pulled his knees up to his chest and laid his head on them.

            Uruha stretched as they walked through the factory gates. They were late closing the store because of a customers wanting to stay longer, but they finally left. Melody lead the way as they entered the main door and walked through the entrance. Inside everyone was gathered around the statue talking as they moved closer. Uruha looked up and found his mate along with Kyo talking on the overhang. Ruki saw him and waved. The honey blonde waved back.

“Everyone,” Kyo announced, “Now that we’re all here. I’m happy to announce that Reita will be starting his heat week within the next twenty-four hours. Reminder, no unauthorized alphas are allowed up here. Uruha, Melody come join us.”

            Reita flinched when he heard the door unlock and he looked up to find Uruha walking in with a rolled up futon in his hand. He dropped it along with the bag he had on his back. At the same time the door shut and was locked again. Uruha walked over and sat next to him.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like a prisoner. Do I really have to stay in here?” Reita whimpered.

Uruha shook his head sadly and Reita dropped his head back down. They didn’t really consider Reita’s past before placing him in here. But they have to make sure he doesn’t attract unneeded alphas or make their alphas go crazy. “Listen I know you must be feeling trapped. In a few hours though, you won’t even care, trust me. You’ll be preoccupied with other things. Are you thirsty?”

“A little.”

Uruha walked over to the fridge and took out a bottle. He tossed it over to the blonde then walked over to the cabinet by the sink and opened it up. He grabbed as many of the contents as he could and plopped back down on the futon. He dropped the items and Reita looked to find all the multicolored toys. His face turned red.

“Um…”

“These are going to be your best friends for the next few days. All cleaned and sanitized. Some of these are for your cock,” He said as he held a silicone vagina then he dropped it and picked up a dildo, “and some of these are for anal. Some vibrate, some don’t. Oh don’t want to forget the most important thing.”

Reita watched him go to his bag and bring it over. He dropped it next to them as he sat back down. He pulled out three 6 FL OZ bottles of lube and dropped them in with the toys. “Will I really need all of this?”

“Oh yeah.” Uruha said with a smug grin. “And lots of batteries.”

Reita picked at his nails as he asked. “So, what’s it like to have a heat cycle when you have a mate?”

“Well,” Uruha moved to sit with his legs crisscrossed “about the same. Except your alpha is there to make sure you’re pleased. It’s their job make you enjoy your heat if you know what I mean. Most importantly they are there to keep you safe and healthy. I’ll be taking care of you during your heats until you get an alpha.”

            Kyo and Shinya were eating their meal when Shinya noticed Kai looking up at the room Reita was currently locked in.

“I think I know why Reita’s cycle randomly jumpstarted.”

“Hmm, why’s that?” Kyo asked taking another bite.

“Kai.” He whispered and nodded his head toward the brunette. Kyo looked at him, then back at his mate waiting for an explanation. “Earlier today we caught them making out. Kai had him high from just a few bites to the neck.”

“Reita showed his neck to him…willingly?”

“If we hadn’t stopped them I would bet that Kai would have taken him then and there. Reita gave Kai complete control over him. He gladly gave in.”

Kyo rubbed his chin. “Interesting.”

“And bad.” Shinya said, getting a strange look from his mate. “Reita’s in heat. If Kai is his dominant alpha, Kai is going sense it and will have the urge to get to Reita. We need to keep an eye on him this week. You know how badly it’ll turn out if they try to bond during his first heat week.”

Kyo nodded. “We’ll play it by ear for now. We’ll inform Ruki and Melody once everyone has gone to bed.”

            It was so hot. Why was everything so hot? This was all Reita could think about rolling on his futon. He woke up feeling strange. His body felt like it was on fire and his boxers had become tight. He whimpered as he rolled onto his stomach and started rubbing his hips into it. After a few minutes he rolled onto his back and lifted his hips to pull his boxers off. He tossed them to side not caring where they landed. He was just so hot. He gripped his member and it felt like a shock went through him. His whole body was so sensitive. He let go and whined out as he rolled onto his stomach again. Uruha was awoken by the last whine and sat up. Strong pheromones filled his nose and he was alert when he realized Reita was in full heat now. He crawled closer and gently placed a hand on Reita’s shoulder making him whimper. The blonde looked up at him with teary eyes.

“H-help me…Uruha, help me.” He cried.

Uruha smiled softly. “I can’t. I’m only here to make sure you don’t get sick. You have to figure this out on your own.

“Uru...ha” He whimpered and moaned out as rolled onto his back again.

“Touch yourself Reita.”

“I…I tried…it hurt…it hurts…”

“No, it’s okay. You’re just very sensitive right now. You have to work at it and it’ll start to feel good. Your body isn’t used to this. Go on keep trying.”

Reita whined as his hips jerked up on their own. He moved his shaky hand down and gripped his swollen member again. He started moving his hand as shocks went through his body. He moaned out and he thrust into his hand.

            Toshiya sniffed the air and moved toward the stairs, but a growl stopped him. He turned to find Kai standing behind him. His eyes were dilated and his body was in attack mode. Toshiya started growling back.

“Enough!” Kyo snapped walking between them. He forced his alpha pressure on the both of them. “Go to bed before I tie you both up and put you on the other side of the factory.”

They backed off and headed to their futons. Kyo looked up to see Ruki watching from the top of the overhang. “This is going to be a long week.”

            Reita cried as he let go of his cock and turned onto his side. He looked up at Uruha with tears running down his cheeks. “Please…help me…make it stop.”

Uruha continued to smile sadly at him. “I know what you’re going through. You have to trust me okay. I want you to touch something other than your penis.”

“But…”

“Put some lube on your fingers and finger yourself.”

Reita whimpered but reached for the lube with a shaky hand and squeezed some onto his fingers. He hesitated for a moment before reaching behind himself. He placed his fingers over his hole and started rubbing it. He moaned out as his body shuttered. His body moved on its own. He buried his face into a pillow as he turned over and got on his knees. He raised his ass into the air and started rubbing his hole harder. He let out shaky breaths and looked up at Uruha who was still smiling at him.

“Uru…”

“Your instincts know what to do. Trust them and follow them.”

Reita closed his eyes as he spread his legs a little, laid on his chest more and lifted his other hand to his cock. He started stroking it as he slipped a finger in himself. He gasped out as warmth flowed through him. He started moving his finger in and out of himself as he stroked his cock at the same pace. He let out a loud moan as he added another finger and pushed them deeper. His ass wiggled in the air as he continued his movements.

            He turned his body over so he was laying on his back but he was soon reinserting his fingers at a new angle. He started stroking his member again and let out a pleasurable moan. He curved his fingers and his eyes shot wide open as his body jerked. He moaned out as he pressed on the spot and his back arched as his hips pushed into the air. His cum shot out onto his stomach and he finally dropped his body back onto the futon. He was drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Uruha took this moment wet a rag at the sink, grab a water and a banana from the fridge and walked back to him. He wiped the sweat from Reita’s face and neck before cleaning his hands.

“Feel better?” He asked. Reita gave a small nod. His breath was starting to even out. “Drink some water and eat. You’re next wave will be hitting soon.”

“Thanks…”Reita whispered sitting up to drink his water.

            It was day three of Reita’s heat and he went from using his fingers to using a thin vibrator. He was currently thrusting it in and out as he sat on his other hand and knees. He collapsed forward as he orgasmed. Uruha watched as the blonde gasped for air. The vibrator was still going on the high setting. Reita moaned out as he reached behind and grabbed it only to start thrusting it again. Uruha new Reita was exhausted and was bound to pass out at any moment. He had been going at it for hours now. His mind wanted to stop, but his natural instincts kept his body going. Reita’s body shuddered as he orgasmed again, but this time he pulled the toy out and tossed it to the side. He was drifting to sleep, but Uruha moved to him and lifted him up in time.

“You need to drink some water before you sleep. We don’t need you getting dehydrated.”

“M’tired.” He mumbled.

“I know.” Uruha said. He grabbed a nearby water and made Reita drink the rest of it before lying him down to rest. The blonde was out like a light. Uruha walked to the door and knocked on it. He heard the metal slot open and he looked up to see Melody looking in through it. “I need a bath and some fresh air. He should stay asleep for at least an hour.”

“Alright.” She said. She closed the little metal door and he heard her unlocking the door. It opened up and he quickly stepped out so she could lock it up again. She kept the key on her bracelet and hid it under her long sleeve shirt.

Uruha nodded his head with a smile. “Is anyone else here?”

“Nope. We’re all alone right now.”

“Perfect.” He sighed. He walked down the steps and into a private room down the hallway. He walked to his dresser and grabbed some clothes from it before heading to the bathroom at the end of the hall. He quickly undressed and slipped into the warm shower.

            Kai sighed as he made the next coffee order and turned to find Ruki glaring at him.

“What?”

“I swear to god, if you keep sighing like that I’m going to punch you in the face.”

“I can’t help it.” Kai whined. “I want to go home.”

“Why, so you can try to mount your omega for the umpteenth time? Kyo said he really is going to tie you up tonight if you don’t stop.”

“I can’t help it, Ruki. He’s practically yelling for me to go to him.”

Ruki sighed and smirked at his friend. “I know the feeling. Uruha went into heat before we were able to bond. I thought I was going to insane. I kept feeling him pulling at me, begging me to just take him. I almost did, but Kyo …tied me up.”

Kai started laughing. “Are you serious? When the hell did this happen?”

“It was a few months before you joined our pack.”

“Oh. So wait what happened once his heat was over.”

“We officially bonded.” Ruki said with a smile. “A little advice for you my friend. If you do bond with Reita, be prepared to be worn out during his heat week. If your omega isn’t happy during his heat it won’t end well for you. Trust me. I know from experience.”

“What did he do to you?” Kai asked, almost not wanting to know.

“Well, first he growled at me. Then he pounced me. We did ‘it’ anyways. Then he refused to cuddle or anything like that. Trust me, you need the cuddling. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but you need it. If you don’t get it, you feel like crap. Plus he will continue to growl at you and snap at you until you do your job. You want to do your job if you want to stay happy. You’re also in charge of taking care of him. Food, water, baths, everything. The only time an omega will come in is to restock your fridge. And the whole time you have to hold your mate down because he will attack anyone who comes in. Whether it be an omega or another alpha.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” Ruki laughed. “Don’t believe me ask Kyo. He brought up water once and Uruha jumped at him. Baring his teeth and all. I barely managed to hold down. Then afterwards…I had to take care of his _needs_ if you get what I’m saying. End of the week I’m almost dead and he’s fucking spry. If he’s happy at the end of the week it makes bonding more fun and in between heats you’ll have normal sex often.”

“I get the feeling you know the experience of not making him happy.”

Ruki nodded with a very knowing expression. “One time my friend. I will never fail my mate again.”

“What happened?”

“Dude, I was so tired. Just the week before I was guarding Shou during his heat week and then bam, Uruha hit his. He growled at me so much.” Ruki almost whimpered saying that. “Wouldn’t let me bite his neck sometimes. End of the week I didn’t do my job, we were both exhausted, and he came out feeling depressed. I’m talking for days he was just lethargic, didn’t want to eat or work. Finally he slowly got back to normal, but we did not have sex at all until his next cycle. Biting his neck didn’t make him happy like it should have. Scenting with him had no effect. I felt a physical strain on our bond because of it.”

“How did you get over it?”

Ruki looked at him with a serious expression. “When his next heat had hit, I did my fucking job. No pun intended. And I was exhausted, but Uruha was beautiful and happy afterwards. That meant I was happy afterwards. Could barely stand, but happy. I don’t know how he does it. I don’t know how he skips out of that room and I’m damn near limping. If people didn’t come to check on us and restock our supplies, they would think he was mounting me.”

“I’m scared now, thanks.” Kai sagged his shoulders

“Good!” Ruki shouted and slapped his friend’s back. “Stay away from Reita until he’s done.”

Kai suddenly perked up and placed his hand gently on his chest. “He’s happy right now. I can feel it, but he’s also very needy.”

“Pray that his heat doesn’t last as long Uruha’s.”

“The full eight days right?” Kai asked and Ruki nodded slowly. “Wow. I bet you’re really in shape.”

“Shut up you little shit.” He laughed.

            Uruha stepped back into the room to find Reita squirming on the futon. He sat next to him and saw him with a small vibrator remote in his hand. He curled into a ball and moaned out. Uruha reached over and petted his face.

“You’re body woke you up.”

“I…can’t stop…tired…but I have…I have to.” Reita gasped with a small smile.

Uruha smiled back and petted his head. “I know.”

“I want him…I want him so much…” He whimpered and Uruha frowned. Reita is talking about someone specifically. This is not good.

“Don’t call his name.” Uruha said seriously. “Do you understand me, Reita? Do _not_ call for him!”

“I want him…on top of me…biting me…mount me…” Reita moaned out.

“Listen to me.” Uruha gripped his cheeks gently and looked him in the eye. “Don’t call for him okay. It won’t be good. Do you hear me? Reita if you call his name—”

Reita’s eyes teared up and he gasped out. He squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of warmth shot through his body. “K-Kai!”

“Oh shit.” Uruha gasped.

            At the café Ruki and Kai were laughing but the brunette suddenly stopped. Ruki hummed as he looked at his friend.

“Hey Kai, I need four black coffees with creamer on the side.” Hitsugi said as he walked to the counter. He noticed his boss didn’t respond and looked up at his face. Kai’s eyes were fully dilated and his face was turning a slight pink.

He swallowed hard and whispered. “Reita…”

They watched as he rushed out of the café and suddenly started running. Nao had watched the whole scene from the doorway to the back. He clenched his teeth with a low growl.

“What was that all about?” Hitsugi asked.

“He’s getting tied up tonight. If you’ll excuse me I need to make a call.” Ruki said as he walked away.

            Kyo ran through the foyer doors and the sound growling filled his ears. He ran in and found Kai and Melody in their wolf forms, circling the room. Melody’s brown and white fur had bloody splotches all over it. He couldn’t tell what injuries Kai had if any since his fur was solid black. Kyo growled out “Kai, stop right now!”

The black wolf growled at him. He changed in his own black and brown wolf form. He and Melody started circling the black wolf. Kai growled at them, but lowered his head and ears. Melody moved in quickly snapping at Kai’s feet, making him stand on his hind legs. Kyo jumped over her and onto the black wolf slamming him onto the ground. He quickly bit down on Kai’s neck to subdue him. The black wolf struggled, but Kyo bit down harder causing him to go still.

Heavy breathing filled the air as Kyo laid on Kai’s body to stop any and all movements. Melody changed to her human form and grabbed some ropes from another room. Kyo kept the pressure on Kai’s neck until he gave in and changed back into his human form. Kyo kept a good grip on the brunette’s neck, but not so hard he was cutting the skin. Melody quickly tied Kai’s arms behind his back.

Satisfied that Kai was restrained, Kyo changed back in his human form as well. They forced Kai to sit up so they could tie ropes around his arms and torso as well. Kyo forced him up to his feet and pushed him towards the back stairs where he took him up to the third floor and threw him into a random room. He closed and locked the door from the outside then headed back down to tend to the bite wounds on Melody’s arms and side.


	7. Take It Slow

            “Reita. Reita, it’s time to get up.”

“Mmno.” The blonde groaned as he turned over. Uruha laughed as he shook his friend once more.

“It’s time to get up. Kyo wants you cleaned up and dressed. He needs to speak with you about something.”

Reita rolled over and looked up at Uruha. “I’m so tired though. I just want to sleep some more.”

“I know, trust me I do. Your heat lasted five days and you stink. We need to air out this room and get the smell off you before you start attracting unwanted attention.”

Reita groaned one more time before allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. His legs felt weak and sore so he used the honey blonde as a crutch. He didn’t mind being completely naked. His clothes weren’t in there anyways. Uruha must have taken them out on one of his trips. They made their way down to the large bathroom used for group baths. He sat on the floor in front of a stool and waited for his friend to undress. Uruha was trying not to laugh at how loopy Reita was being. He threw his clothes out of the room before coming back in and sat on the stool. He grabbed the nozzle and started spraying the blonde with cold water making him yelp in shock.

“The fuck?” He shouted.

“That woke your ass up, huh?” Uruha laughed before adjusting the temperature and spraying his friend again. He washed Reita’s hair and scrubbed down his body.

“Reita, do you remember anything from this week.” Uruha asked scrubbing his friend’s back

The blonde blushed. “Well, yeah I mean…you know…”

“I do know and there is no need to be bashful around other omegas. We know exactly what you went through. But what I meant was specifically the past couple of days. You were calling out someone’s name.”

“I was?” Reita blushed and then it dawned on him. “No, no, no, no, please don’t tell me I was calling out Kai’s name?”

“The one and only.”

“Fuck! Please don’t tell anyone.”

Uruha smirked and moved in front of his friend to wash his chest. “I won’t. You did that for me.”

“Wha…What do you mean?” Oh the horror on his face was priceless.

“Everyone heard you. And when I say everyone, I mean _everyone_.”

“He heard. Oh my god. Just kill me already.” He whined dropping his head in his hands, but Uruha lifted his head back up.

“He didn’t just hear you Reita. He felt you. He felt your need to have him be with you. And he got in trouble for it.” He said spraying Reita with the nozzle. “You got that poor man tied up because all he wanted to do was answer your call.”

“What do you mean by ‘answer my call’…wait tied up?”

            “Will you please let me go?” Kai begged once more. Kaoru only sat by the door with a straight face. “Come on man I’m telling you I don’t feel anything anymore.”

Kaoru breathed in deeply and exhaled loudly, then continued to stare at the brunette. Kai groaned as he fell back and stared up at the ceiling. Ok, so he attacked Melody and almost bit everyone who got within three feet from him, but he wasn’t insane anymore. Nobody seemed to believe him though. He sighed.

“Kaoru, what happened to me?” He asked seriously. “Honestly. I was scared. I felt like I couldn’t control myself. What if I had hurt Reita, you, or anybody else?”

“You did, you hurt Melody.” Finally he speaks, but it sounded angry.

“I know. I couldn’t stop my body no matter how hard I tried.”

“Your inner wolf felt your urge to get to your mate. It was only trying to help you. Melody doesn’t blame you, but I would be careful around her. Never know when she’ll get her revenge.”

Kai closed his eyes before he started speaking again. “I heard his voice. Then all of a sudden my heart was racing and I just felt something pulling me in his direction. He kept calling me over and over. All I could think was ‘I’m almost there. Hang on, I’m coming. I’m almost there.’ Then when I saw Melody my wolf came out without me wanting it to. You know the rest I guess. Being tied up here though…it hurt. It hurt my chest that I couldn’t reach him.”

He heard a noise and opened his eyes to find Kaoru walking towards him and kneeling down. He poked Kai in the center of the chest. “Right here?” Kai gave him a strange look and shook his head. “That my friend, was a bond forming its connection.”

“How do you know?”

Kaoru looked away before standing back up. He sighed and opened his mouth to respond, but the door opening caught their attention. Melody was standing there with a sweet smile on her face. Kai saw the bandage on her arm and blushed.

“Melody I’m so sorry.” He said.

She smiled and nodded. “Come on. Kyo wants to see you.”

Kaoru hoisted the brunette up by the ropes and started untying him. After the bindings dropped they started walking out and down the hallway. As they started down the stairs Melody smiled and kicked Kai’s foot out from beneath him. He yelped as he tumbled down the staircase and grunted when hitting the first landing. Melody and Kaoru made their way down and passed him as he rolled onto his side. She turned and smiled at him.

“I forgive you now.” With that she continued on. Kaoru shook his head as he helped Kai up to his feet.

            The three of them made it to the foyer where Kaoru broke off leaving the two of them alone. As Melody guided him to a door off to the side, they spotted Uruha and Reita walking towards the same door. Reita blushed when he saw them and looked away. They made it to the door where Melody opened it for them. Reita and Kai made their way in as the door shut behind them. Kyo and Shinya were sitting on a couch across the room. So they made their way over and sat in front of them. Reita had his head down as Kai looked off to the side.

“The two of you caused quite a stir. Not that I blame you, Reita.” Kyo started. “This is mostly Kai’s fault.”

“K-Kyo!” Kai whined.

“Quiet. Now, Reita, I want you to really think about this before answering. Do you feel a connection between you and Kai?”

Reita blushed a little and he bit his lip. He looked up at Kyo before answering. “Well… it’s all new to me. I’ve never felt like this with any other person. I think I do feel a connection.”

“Are you sure Reita? What I’m concerned about is the fact that this _is_ new to you. That you may think there is a connection when there really isn’t. It might just be an infatuation. I’m worried because you have these feelings towards one of the pack members that helped you when you first arrived. That he was the first unbonded alpha you had contact with might be the reason for all of this.”   

“No.” Kai spoke up. “I feel it, too. Kyo, I’ve had mates before, but this is different. This is… I can’t explain it. I hear him and I feel him even when we’re nowhere near each other. This has to mean something.”

Shinya nudged at Kyo and scooted up on the couch. “You have to understand Kai. Reita is recovering from a traumatic experience. We’re just worried about his wellbeing.”

“I’m fine. I’m a lot better.” Reita spoke.

“We know, but Reita you’ve been here for almost two months now and we have yet to see change into your wolf form.” Reita visibly flinched from Shinya’s statement. “Plus you just went through your first heat, which is extremely late for any wolf. Your body is making drastic changes to make up for the years lost in development. We still don’t know all the consequences those drugs have had on you. We want you to be careful.”

Kyo took over in talking. “Kai, I don’t want the two of you to bond until we know for sure that Reita’s recovery will continue to go smoothly.”

“Kyo—”

“It’s too early to bond anyways.” He sighed. “Give it time for the two of you to connect on a personal level first. I’m not saying you can’t go out or sleep together, but just wait. That’s not a suggestion either, it’s an order.”

“Yes, sir,” They both mumbled.

“Reita,” Shinya said. “I want to examine you today. Right after an omega’s heat is the best time do a medical checkup. Plus I haven’t given you a proper one since your first week here. I’d like to see how you’re doing.”

“Alright.” Reita replied.  

“Another thing Kai.” Kyo said sternly. “You need to sit down with Nao and talk to him. I don’t want any drama because of some silly love triangle. He needs to understand that the two of you won’t be together.”

“I have. I don’t know what to do to get it into his head.”

“Try again. If it doesn’t work then I’ll take care of it, but until then he’s still your responsibility.”

“Yes I know.”

Kyo stood up with Shinya and looked down at the two of them. “We’ll talk more if anything else comes up. You’re dismissed.”

“Reita, we’ll leave for the clinic in a few minutes. Meet me at the front when you’re ready.” Shinya said before walking out with Kyo.

            Kai and Reita sat there in silence before Kai looked over and gripped his hand making him jump. Reita looked up at him and gave a small smile.

“If you’re up to it, why don’t we go out later?” Kai asked.

“Um, sure.” Reita nodded. “Kai, I’m sorry for getting you in trouble. Uruha told me everything.”

Kai leaned over and kissed his cheek. “That’s alright. I’m just happy it was me you called for. Come on. We don’t want Shinya waiting too long.”

Kai helped Reita up and they held hands as they stepped out of the room. The place was empty except for Shinya. Kyo and the others must have already left for work. So they headed over to Shinya and left together.

            Kai walked with them up until the café where he parted with them and headed in. It wasn’t too busy inside as there were only about five tables with customers and no line. Joy. Ruki smiled at him from behind the counter.

“So, what happened?” He asked.

“Nothing that concerns you.” Kai groaned.

“Come on. Don’t leave your best friend hanging.” Ruki whined. He watched as Kai made it around the counter and leaned on it.

“Well, I mean what is there to say that you don’t already know. Reita and I hit it off and Kyo wants us to wait a little bit before bonding. That’s it.”

“Holy shit. So it is true! You two are bond mates.” Ruki said excitedly. “That’s awesome. Congrats man!”

“Thanks.”

“By the way.” Ruki said patting his friend on the back. “I told you you’d get tied up.”

            Reita and Shinya walked through the back door of the clinic and went into an empty room. Shinya left him alone with the order to strip down to his boxers and to sit on the normal chair in the room. Reita waited nervously for about twenty minutes before Shou walked in the room with a metal tray.

“How are you feeling?” Shou asked as he slipped on some gloves.

“Tired.” Reita answered honestly. “How long is this going to take?”

“Well, I need to get some blood. Shinya wants to do a physical on you and an ultrasound so it could take a little over an hour.”

“Ultrasound?” Reita asked as Shou tied off his arm.

“Yeah. He wants to check if you’re a carrier or not.”

“Carrier? Like to see if I can have a baby or not?” Reita asked. Shou nodded his head as he started drawing the first vial of blood. They were quiet as he drew three more vials before removing the needle and putting the things away. Shou smiled before gathering everything and heading out. Reita was once again left alone in the room.

            After a while, Shinya finally walked back in pushing a cart with a machine and monitor on top of it. He pushed it to the side and plugged it in then walked over to the blonde.

“Stand up. I’m going to look you over.” Shinya ordered and the omega did so. He guided Reita to a scale and weighed him then moved him back to the side. Shinya started looking carefully over Reita’s body starting with his arms. “How’s your nose? Are you still sensitive to smells?”

Reita rubbed his noseband. “It’s better. Only strong perfumes and stuff like that still bother me.”

 Shinya nodded as he pressed and prodded the old and new scars. He looked over the healed wounds he treated to make sure there was nothing wrong with them. He moved down to his torso. He looked over it silently until he reached the omega’s lower abdomen. All of his scars were jagged from claws and teeth. Except for this one. It was a clean line like a surgical tool was used.

“Reita, when did you get this scar?” Shinya asked poking it. Reita looked down at the spot and hummed.

“I don’t know to be honest. It’s always been there I guess.”

Shinya nodded accepting the answer.

            Shinya finished the physical examine soon after that and had Reita lay down on the patient chair. He smeared a clear gel on Reita’s lower stomach and pulled the machine closer. He grabbed the wand and pressed it on Reita’s stomach smearing the gel all across. Reita watched as Shinya stared at the monitor. He was curious to see what the beta was looking at, but the monitor was angled to where he couldn’t see. Shinya’s face pinched as he looked closer and then he looked a little sad. He pulled the wand away and gave Reita a sad smile.

“All done.” He said and gave Reita a couple of tissues to clean up.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine. You can get dressed now.”

“So did you find anything wrong with me other than what I already know?”

Shinya sighed. “You’re still underweight. You need to stop skipping your meals if want to get to a healthy weight again. Other than that you’re physically fine. Let me know if you get hypersensitive to smells again or if anything strange happens with your body.”

Reita nodded as he slipped his shirt on, but paused after grabbing his pants. “So, will I ever be able to change into my wolf form again?”

“I don’t know. But I do know someone you can talk to about it. He’s from a different pack, but we can see if he would come and talk with you for a few days. He went through the same thing you did.”

“And he can change his forms?”

Shinya nodded. “Yes. It took him a while, but yeah he was able to connect with his inner wolf again. Why don’t I have Shou walk you back home to rest?”

“I’m okay to walk back alone. Thanks though.” Reita said. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye Reita.” Shinya said with a smile, but it dropped when the blonde left his sight. He slumped down in the desk chair to the side and rubbed his forehead. A soft knock caught his attention and Byou slipped inside.

“Well, how did it go?” Shinya let a few tears fall and Byou knelt down in front of him. “Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“I didn’t tell him.” He whimpered. “How can tell him that something terrible happened to him and he doesn’t even know about it?”

“What are you talking about? What happened? Is there something wrong with Reita?”

“No, but he may take it that way. Byou…he was once a carrier.”

Byou shook his head confused. “What do you mean?”

“One surgical scar on his body. The only one. It was on his lower abdomen and on the ultrasound…he …”

 “A surgery was done on him.” Byou sighed. Shinya gripped his own stomach and cried some more.

“Why? _Why would someone do something so awful?_ ”

Byou pulled his friend into a tight hug and let him cry on his shoulder.


	8. Inner Wolf

            Everyone was up and getting ready to head out to work when Shinya pulled Kyo away to their private room. Kyo sat on the couch as Shinya knelt on the floor and sat his head on his alpha’s lap.

“What’s wrong, Shinya?” Kyo sighed.

The golden haired man closed his eyes to hold back his tears. “Do we have to tell him now?”

“We went over this last night.” Kyo groaned as he stood up. Shinya watched him take a few steps away. “Both he and Kai have the right to know. You can’t hold this information from either of them.”

Shinya gripped his stomach. “I know I have to tell them at some point. But can’t it wait? Reita has gone through enough, hasn’t he? The abuse… the cage fights…now this. How can I just tell him that his old pack leader took away his ability to have children? How do I tell him that?”

Kyo clenched his fists. “Shinya, you have no right to hide this from them. If you don’t tell them, I will.”

“Kyo please, he’s still recovering.”

“Is he the one still recovering or is it you?” Kyo shouted out at his mate. Shinya flinched as he gripped his shirt. “Shinya, you need to let that go.”

“You haven’t! _So why should 1?”_ Shinya cried out. Kyo felt a pain in his chest at the memory. He watched as his mate continue to cry. A loud knock on the door startled them then Kaoru opened it and was surprised at the scene. Kyo glared at him.

Kaoru scratched the back of his head. “We’re all heading out. Just thought I’d let you know. I’ll tell them to leave before you.”

“Don’t bother.” Shinya sniffled. He stood up wiping his face and stormed out of the room. Kaoru looked at his leader.

“Care to enlighten me as to why your mate is crying?”

“None of your business. Go ahead, I’ll catch up.” Kyo ordered.

Kaoru began to close the door but stopped midway. “Kyo, if it’s the same thing as last time, then you both need to let it go. It was neither of yours’ faults.”

“Kaoru!” He growled.

“I know what you’re going through, Kyo, remember?” Kaoru said sadly. “I know the pain you’re feeling. Please, don’t let it destroy what you have left. I’ll wait out here for you.”

Kyo watched as the alpha left him alone in the room. He rubbed his head and sat on the couch. “I can’t let it go. It was all my fault.”

            Reita was walking out when he spotted Kai walking with Ruki and Nao close behind. Jealousy flared in his stomach. He grabbed some snow and packed it into a ball. His intended target was Nao, but he watched as Kai laughed at the omega and decided the throw the ball right at his head. Kai stopped in his tracks when his head was hit by a ball of snow. He looked back to growl at whoever did it, but found Reita laughing and all his anger vanished. Kai quickly grabbed some snow and threw it back starting an all-out snowball fight. Nao was the only one standing to the side glaring at Reita. The blonde was running as Kai chased him with a giant ball of snow. Reita tripped over and fell but rolled onto his back to find Kai dropping the snow to the side. He dropped down over Reita’s body and leaned down to kiss him. Reita moaned as warmth spread throughout his body.

            Shinya stepped outside to find snowballs flying every direction. He looked over to see Toshiya dumping snow down Miyavi’s shirt as Melody threw some at his face. Uruha and Ruki were ganging up on Tsuzuku, but then Hiroto and Byou came up behind them with snow balls to throw at them. Shinya was laughing a little until a snowball hit him in the chest. He looked up to see Shou smirking at him as he threw another one.

            Everyone was laughing as they chased each other around for a good ten minutes. Kai had rolled off Reita’s body and started piling snow on him. Reita quickly jumped up to tackle him. IV and Takeru stood at each other’s backs as they threw snowballs at everyone. Takeru spotted Kaoru stepping out and he smiled. He threw the ball right at the alpha, but Kaoru quickly stepped to the side only for it to hit Kyo right in the face. Everyone stopped moving and stared at him. He wiped the snow off his scowling face as he started walking forward.

“Get to work.” He growled and everyone jumped to their feet to head out. Kai helped Reita up to his feet and helped wipe him off.

 “Can we bathe together tonight?” Reita asked in a soft voice. His face was turning pink.

“If you’re comfortable with that. Though I might react a little too strongly if I see you naked.”

Reita’s face turned a deep red. “I won’t mind.”

“Alright love birds, knock it off!” Byou shouted patting Kai’s back. “Time to head out.”

They walked out with their hands together as everyone started splitting up to go to work. Nao glared at the mates and let out a low growl. As they approached the café, he ran between them, breaking their hands apart, and hung onto to Kai’s arm. Reita felt a sudden rage fill his body.

“Nao…” Kai said calmly. “You can’t do this anymore.”

“But, we’re still friends right?”

“Yes. Head inside, I’ll be in in a minute.” Kai ordered and waited until he was inside before turning to a fuming Reita. He rubbed the blonde’s arms and smiled. “I’ll take care of him today, I promise. Now, tonight I’d like to get a little more intimate. Why don’t we sleep in one of the private rooms upstairs?”

Reita blushed and smiled. “I’d like that.”

Kai leaned down and captured the blonde’s lips one more time before parting with him.

            Byou kept nudging at Reita and picking at him as they made their way up to the clinic. Shinya unlocked the door to let them in and they all stepped into the break room. As they started walking out, Shinya gripped Reita’s arm to stop him. They waited for the room to clear out before Shinya started talking.

“Reita, there’s something I need to tell you.” He said softly. “Maybe you should sit down.” The blonde did as he was told and Shinya sat on the floor in front of him. Reita was becoming nervous. “It’s about the ultrasound you had yesterday.”

“So you did find something wrong with me.” He mumbled.

“No! No not at all. There is absolutely nothing wrong, but…do you remember that scar I pointed out to you?”

“Yes.” Reita started to fidget, but Shinya wrapped his hands around Reita’s and gave a soft smile.

“Reita…you had a surgery done that… how should I put this? Before that surgery you were a carrier. Whoever did it took…they made it where you wouldn’t be able to have children anymore.”

Reita clenched his fists. “So…there _is_ something else broken with me.”

“No Reita. Listen, not many males can have children anyways. If anything, you can tell everyone you were never a carrier and it would be perfectly fine.”

“But Kai…”

“Will still be you’re alpha. If you two truly have a bond then this shouldn’t have any effect on him. It might make him sad, but he won’t suddenly hate you or anything like that.”

Tears were dripping down Reita’s cheeks. “Why…why did he do this me?”

“Reita…”

_“Why did my master break me like this? Why?”_

“You’re not broken, Reita.”

_“I can’t change into my wolf form! I can’t have a child! My internal clock is jacked up!”_ Reita cried out. _“Why did he do this to me?”_

Byou, Hiroto, and Shou had been standing outside the door listening in silence. Byou clenched his fists in anger as Shou glared into the floor and Hiroto blinked his tears away. If they ever met the man who did this to their family they would kill him.

            Kai smiled as his last costumer left so he could lock up. Ruki was breaking down the register as Nao and Hitsugi began cleaning up. He was worried about Reita. He felt his mate suddenly become sad shortly after they had split up. He rubbed his neck looking at Nao. Ruki cleared his throat before nodding his head toward the omegas.

“Hitsugi, go clean the kitchen. Nao, come with me.” Kai ordered and walked out to the dining room with Nao close behind. They sat across from each other at a table. Nao was smiling softly at the alpha which made Kai feel slightly guilty.

“Nao, you need to listen to what I have to say. This will hurt your feelings, but you must understand. We can’t be together. Reita and I have become mates now.”

“But…he’s an outsider!” Nao shouted earning a glare from the alpha. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

“Nao.” Kai growled. “You have to stop. You have to get this obsession of us being together out of your head. Reita is a member of our pack now. He’s our family. He’s my mate and soon we’ll be bonded.”

“No.” Nao whimpered. “You were supposed to be with me. We were supposed to be mates.”

“Please Nao, stop this. I’m begging you. If you don’t I won’t have any choice but have Kyo deal with you.” Kai sighed. “Nao, answer me, are you going to stop this?”

“We…you were supposed to be with me not him.”

The brunette shook his head and closed his eyes as he stood up. He took a deep breathe before asking the question he’s been wanting the answer to. “The night that Reita got hurt, were you the one who did it?”

Nao bit his lip and looked at the floor. Kai shook his head. “Don’t come near me or Reita until you have it in your head that we will never be together. I’m going to ask Kyo to move you to Melody’s store for a couple of weeks.”

“Kai…” Nao whimpered.

“Be quiet Nao!” Kai growled. He exerted an intense pressure and glared down at the omega. “If you ever touch Reita again, I will kill you.”

Nao’s body shook under Kai’s intensity. Something wasn’t right. Kai was angry with him and it scared him. Kai wouldn’t be angry if Reita wasn’t around. ‘This is all that outsider’s fault. He took my Kai away from me.’

Ruki stepped out of the back room to find Nao shaking under Kai’s stare. He walked over and gripped Kai’s shoulder. The brunette turned his glare to Ruki.

“Enough, Kai.”

“I won’t let him hurt Reita again.” He growled. He pulled from his friend’s grip and walked towards the door. “Get Hitsugi, we’re leaving.”

 “…all his fault.” Nao whispered as the alphas walked away. “It’s all his fault. He took my Kai away from me. He’s gonna pay…I’m gonna make him pay…”

Shinya and the others entered the factory compound and headed inside where it was warm. Shinya watched as Reita walked with his head down until Uruha came up to him. He watched as they headed upstairs to talk in private. Shinya walked across the foyer to his and Kyo’s private room where he found his mate speaking with Kai. He walked closer as the conversation continued.

“Kyo, I’m sorry for threatening him, but if he goes near Reita I will explode. I was so close to beating him right then and there.”

“It is not your job to punish members of this pack. I will have a word with Nao after we’re done here. He won’t touch Reita again. I will ask Melody if she has a position for him there.”

Kai nodded and noticed the third presence there. He smiled at Shinya. “Reita’s home. Good I need to find out what’s bothering him.”

Shinya nodded. “I know what it is. I told him something. I thought it was too soon and I was right. I’m sorry I caused him to be upset and now he’s just torn up inside.”

“What did you tell him?” Kai growled.

Shinya sighed. “Kai, you two aren’t bonded yet, so really I don’t have a right to tell you. Reita will though. He told me he was going let you know tonight. It’s best to hear it from him anyways.”

Kai accepted the answer and looked over at Kyo who also nodded. The pack leader scratched the back of his head as he began to speak. “I got a hold of Yoshiki. He and his pack will be here tomorrow morning and will visit for the next week. Saga and Teru both agreed to help Reita while they were here. So Kai you may not get to spend a whole bunch of time with him while they’re here.”

“If it’ll help Reita, then I’ll endure it. I want him to—” Kai was suddenly cut off by a distant scream and the sound wolves howling in pain.

            When they got home, Reita had grabbed Uruha’s hand and lead him to the room on the fourth floor. He walked out to the balcony and leant against the ledge. The honey blonde stepped forward and they looked out at the city. It was quiet at first until Reita started to cry. His eyes were already puffy and Uruha felt his heart ache at the scene. He quickly pulled his friend into a hug and Reita told him everything. Uruha petted his friend’s head.

“I know you must be in pain. But maybe it’s for the best.”

“The best?” Reita whimpered.

Uruha nodded. “Having kids isn’t that fantastic, I mean it’s wonderful but a pain at the same time. Just ask Melody and Miyavi. They have two daughters of their own.”

They were so distracted the whole way up that they hadn’t noticed Nao following them up to the room. The young omega was listening outside the door.

“They have kids? Where are they then?” Reita asked.

“Well, it’s long a story. You remember when I told you another wolf pack lived here? On the other side of the city.”

“Yes I remember.”

“It has to do with them. It was about three years ago.” Uruha started.

‘Reita took my Kai away from me. If he wasn’t here, Kai would be mine again.’ A low growl left Nao’s chest as he slowly stepped into the room. The two heard him and turned to look at him. Uruha stepped forward at the growling omega.

“Nao, go back downstairs. We’re talking in private.”

“You leave.” Nao snapped. “You’re in the way.” His growling grew louder and his body began to change forms. Reita felt a pain in his chest and gripped his shirt. Nao’s brown and white wolf form stepped forward and he growled deeper. Uruha took a step back not wanting to fight, but flinched when he heard a whimper behind him. He turned to find Reita on his knees breathing erratically. Both his hands were gripping his chest and his face was blood red. His face was glistening with sweat as he looked up at Uruha.

“I-it hurts!” He cried out.

            Nao growled as he charged forward and jumped in the air to attack the blonde.

_“No stop!”_ Uruha screamed out. Reita blinked and his eyes were suddenly yellow and black. His body jumped in the air as it changed into his snow white wolf form and he collided with Nao. They began biting and clawing at each other. Blood splattered across the floor and onto Uruha’s face. The honey blonde dashed to the door and out to the hallway. He needed to the get help and fast. He made it down one flight of steps before running into Ruki who was starting to transform at the site of his mate and Toshiya was right behind him.

“Nao attacked Reita and now they’re fighting. You have to stop them before they kill each other.”

Ruki let out a growl as they rushed to the source of the commotion. They made it to the doorway where they found the two circling each other and growling. Their fur was standing, tails raised, and ears down. They were about to attack again.

“Reita, Nao enough!” Ruki ordered. Nao perked up at Ruki’s voice, but Reita charged in ignoring it. Nao quickly fought back as the white wolf started biting him.

“Shit! Reita stop it! That’s an order!” Toshiya growled but it fell on deaf ears as the two omegas rolled over each other. Kyo and Kai suddenly pushed their way in and saw the scene.

            Kyo barked at them. “ _Enough. Stand down!”_

Nao whimpered and lowered his head as he dropped his tail between his legs. Reita turned and looked at the alphas standing before him. Kai gave a small smile as he stepped forward. “Come on Reita. It’s over now you can change back into your human form.”

The white wolf let out a low growl as he stepped forward and let out a loud one as he lunged forward. Kai raised his hand on instinct and Reita bit down on his arm as he tackled the alpha to the floor.

“Reita stop! It’s me, it’s Kai!” He shouted but the white wolf only bit down harder. Kyo quickly changed into his black and brown form and tackled the white wolf off. Reita snapped at him, but Kyo bit his neck and slammed him into the wall, knocking him out.

“Reita!” Kai shouted but the wolf stayed motionless as Kyo changed back.

“Shinya, tend to Kai and get Byou to take care of Nao. Toshiya, Ruki help me get Reita downstairs. We’re locking him up.”

“Kyo…”Kai whimpered but was silenced by his leader’s glare.

“Let’s hurry before he wakes back up.” Kyo said and the three of them gathered around the wolf to lift it up. “Shinya tell Byou to lock Nao up once he’s finished with him. Uruha, tell me what happened.”

            A few hours later Kai opened up the slot to the locked door and watched as the white wolf paced around the room. He closed the slit and rubbed his bandaged arm.

“Kai?” Uruha whispered next to him. “Are you okay?”

“Why did he attack me? It was as if he didn’t even know me.”

“Are you going to stand here all night?” Kyo asked as he stepped up to the doorway.

“I’m just trying to figure out why he did this.” Kai sighed. “Why hasn’t he changed back? He needs to explain to us what happened.”

“Maybe he can’t change back.” Uruha mumbled. “Maybe he’s stuck like this.”

Kai pressed his head against the door. “I can’t even feel him anymore. He won’t let me in.”

“He closed you off?” Kyo asked in surprise and Kai nodded his head.

“It’s hurts. Not being about to feel him. Not being able to know if he’s okay or not. Not being able to go near him.”

“We’ll figure this out.” Kyo said patting his back. They looked back at Reita one last time before closing the slit in the door.


	9. Akira

            Kai picked at his bandage on his arm as he listened to the wolf on the other side of the door. Reita had been pacing back and forth all night as Kai sat outside the door. Hitsugi was stepping out of Nao’s room down the walkway before walking over to Kai. They were the only ones there since everyone else went out to work. Kai had closed the café for the day since Kyo wanted Ruki to join him in meeting up with Yoshiki’s pack. Hitsugi sat down beside him and they remained silent.

            “Uruha!” A young silver haired man shouted as he tackled the honey blonde to the ground. Uruha laughed as he greeted the omega and helped them back to their feet. Kyo confronted the small pack in front of him. The tall older man smiled as they greeted each other.

“It’s been a while, Kyo.” He spoke as they parted.

“Yes it has been, Yoshiki. Teru seems more energetic since I last saw him.” Kyo said watching as Teru and Uruha spoke to one another. Kyo and Ruki both looked behind Yoshiki to find a new edition. Bright blue hair, long eyelashes, piercings along his blood red lips, and two different colored eyes that had to be contacts. He also took notice of the brown teddy bear he was holding.

Yoshiki noticed and smiled. “Kyo, this is Meto. We picked him up at shelter outside Dawn City. He can’t speak because of a head injury. He’s a bit odd, but he’s a good kid.”

“Thank you for coming all the way out here. I know it must have been troublesome.” Kyo said. He nodded towards Meto who stepped back before dashing over to the omegas. Koichi and Mia pulled him behind them.

“Not at all. I miss this city anyways. It’s good to visit it.” Yoshiki said as he smiled fondly. “I see you didn’t bring you’re new pack member with you. Was he too nervous to meet us?”

“Actually, a situation came up. I’ll explain everything on the way there.”

            Kai’s ears picked up the sound of footsteps entering the factory. He and Hitsugi stood up as the group walked in. They headed down to greet their guests. Kyo was still informing Yoshiki of the situation with Reita and was telling him about the night before. The pack soon split up to rest from their journey as Yoshiki, Teru, and Saga followed the hosts up to the walkway. They stood in front of the locked door for a moment. Saga stepped forward and opened the slit to look inside at the pacing wolf. He had bloody splotches on his side, hind leg, his front leg and his face. Saga stepped back and scratched his head.

‘This wolf…no it couldn’t be him.’ Saga thought. ‘There’s no way he would end up here.’

“Can you help him?” Kai asked bringing him out of his thoughts.

“I don’t know. You guys have to understand something. Cage fighting causes so much damage physically and mentally. If this is anything like what I went through, then Reita and his inner wolf have been disconnected.”

“Meaning what exactly?” Kai asked.

“Meaning Reita has no control over his inner wolf. It’s almost like a split personality. Reita was threatened and so his inner wolf forced itself out in order to protect him. His inner wolf will stay out for as long as he feels threatened. He’s waiting for some sort of signal to change back.”

“What signal?” Kyo asked.

Saga shrugged his shoulders. “Depends. Sometimes it could be the bell sound ending a match, or it could be his master’s command, or it could be food, or any factor that was used when he was fighting. It differs between wolves.”

Teru whispered. “Uruha said Reita was in a lot of pain when his wolf came out. Reita’s wolf might have locked him inside his own mind so he can’t escape. Which means it might be tough to get him out.”

Kai placed his hand on the door and stared at it. “Saga. Teru. This happened to the both of you right? So how did you guys come out of it?”

“Well,” Teru said with a blush. He looked over at the balcony to his alpha. “Kamijo and I had been bonded for a few months before it first happened to me. He was able call me out of it.”

“So if I call to Reita, I can pull him out?” Kai said excited, but Saga shook his head ‘no’.

“It’s not that simple. You just became mates. Teru had been bonded for five months so their connection was very strong. Your connection isn’t strong enough yet. If it was, then Reita wouldn’t have even attacked you.”

“Then what about you, Saga?” Kyo asked. “How did you come out of it?”

“The first time it happened, my old master had been around and Yoshiki had forced him to help me. The natural instinct to follow his order drove my wolf back in and allowed me to come back out. The second time it wasn’t that hard to come out of it since Tora helped coax me out. It took him a few hours, but he managed to pull me out.”

“Is Tora your alpha?” Uruha asked.

“No, but we’re good friends. We were born in the same pack so we already had a strong connection.”

“Uruha…”Kai said looking at the honey blonde, but Ruki stepped in front of him glaring at Kai.

“No way in hell is Uruha going anywhere near Reita right now.” Ruki growled. “I won’t let my mate be in danger.”

“Ruki please.” Kai begged.

“It may not work.” Saga said. “Like I said earlier, every wolf is different. You may end up having to track down his old master and have him bring Reita out of it.”

“No! That monster is never coming near my Reita again.” Kai growled out startling them all. “I won’t let him hurt Reita again.”

“It’s not like he told us where he came from anyways.” Uruha sighed. “He didn’t tell us anything other than the fact he was a cage fighter.”

“I don’t blame him.” Teru said softly. “It’s less likely for him to be caught and taken back. We’ll have to figure something else I guess. What calms him down when he’s upset?”

“He likes to sit on the balcony upstairs.” Uruha said. “He likes to play in the snow and he likes to be alone. Nothing much else though.”

Kyo and Yoshiki had left them to think. Saga started pacing back in forth in front of the door and Teru tapped his foot as they thought up ideas. They had Kai and Uruha retell them about when they first found him and how he had acted which wasn’t that strange. Kai looked into the door and watched the wolf as he tried calling to him. Kai bit his lip when he couldn’t get through to his mate. The white wolf stopped and looked at the slot before he started growling. Kai closed his eyes as he slid the slit shut. Uruha was playing with Ruki’s hair as they sat on the floor by the door. Uruha placed his head on Ruki’s back and closed his eyes to remember anything that Reita might have told him.

_Just a few weeks after Reita had come, he and Reita would often talk on the balcony. One night Reita had opened up a little more. Uruha watched as Reita looked up at the starry sky as he spoke._

_“Leena was the one who helped me. She was so kind for a human. Her father worked for my master to make his drugs. She was forced into working for him, too. She always petted my head and snuck me food. She could calm me down when I was overly nervous. She would sit with me and even when I growled at her she would just smile and pet me.”_

            Uruha opened his eyes and looked up. His voice caught them all off guard “Leena. Reita talked about a girl named Leena and how she comforted him when he was upset.”

“Yeah, but without any idea of where he came from, we won’t be able to find her.” Saga sighed. “There has to be something. Anything. Does he have a favorite comfort item? A nickname? A favorite smell? A type of food? Clothing? Anything like that?”

Kai raised his head and spoke. “Reita isn’t his real name.”

“That’s right. I can’t believe I actually forgot about that.” Uruha said. “He couldn’t stand being called that so we gave him a new one.”

“What’s his name?” Teru asked.

“Akira.”

Saga froze on the spot and his eyes grew wide. “His collar…what did it look like?”

“Steel with normal locks on it. It had a dog tag with his name on it, too. Why?” Uruha asked, but Saga continued to stay still.

“Does…does he have blonde hair? Reita I mean.” He asked as he turned.

Kai looked at Ruki and Uruha before looking back at the other wolf. “Yeah…”

“Holy shit.” Saga gasped. “I knew his wolf form looked familiar, but I never thought it would actually be Akira.”

“Wait you know him?” Kai asked.

Saga turned to face them. “We’ve fought each other a few times. His master is Dogma. Holy shit you have Dogma’s pup.”

“Who the hell is Dogma?” Kai asked.

“If you’re connected to the underground at all, you’ve heard of Dogma. He takes omegas and does whatever he wants with them. Cage fighting, prostitution, drugs, and even slavery. He is one of the most powerful men in the entire underground. He has connections to yakuza. And you guys have his second best cage fighter. He’s been searching for Akira, offering rewards to anyone who finds him and brings him back.”

“You’re kidding me right?”

Saga shook his head. “Whatever you guys do, don’t tell a soul about Reita. It’ll put all of you in danger.”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.” Ruki said. “For now we need to get Reita back to his human form.”

“I have an idea.” Uruha whimpered placing a hand on Ruki’s shoulder. “I want to try it, Ru.”

Unbeknownst to them, their voices echoed through the foyer. Nao had his ear to the door as he heard them faintly talking. He bit his lip before moving back to the opposite wall to sit. He smiled looking at his hands.

            The white wolf had continue its pacing when the sound of the door unlocking caught his attention. He stopped and watched as the door opened up to show the honey blonde standing there holding a plate of food. The wolf started growling and readied himself to attack. Ruki stepped forward, but Saga held him back. Uruha swallowed hard before stepping forward with smile.

“Akira.” He said softly, “I brought you some food.”

The wolf stopped growling, but was still alert. Uruha knelt down and placed the plate in front of him before he started talking again. “Leena isn’t feeling well so she asked me to bring you your food.”

The wolf’s ear perked at the girl’s name and his guard lowered a bit. He took slow steps forward and began sniffing the plate of pork chops before taking a bite. Uruha took this chance to place his hand on the white fur, making the wolf flinch, but he continued to eat.

“Akira, you know you’re safe here right? No one here will hurt you or Reita.” The wolf looked him straight in the eye and let out a low growl, but Uruha kept his smile. “Kai is his mate you know and he’s very worried about Reita. I know you’re trying to protect him, but he needs to come back out. You can’t stay in this form forever.”

The wolf let out a whine and Uruha continued to pet him. “We know you didn’t mean to hurt anyone and we don’t blame you. Reita needs to come out so we can treat his wounds. You both have a lot of healing to do, but you won’t be able to unless you go back. We’ll protect him until your connection is healed. Please, trust us.”

The wolf let out another whimper and looked over at Kai. The alpha took a few steps forward and sat next to Uruha. He reached out his hand and placed it on the wolf’s head. “I won’t let anything happen to Reita. I’ll protect him with my life. So please, let him back out.”

The wolf placed his head on Kai’s lap and let out a deep breath out before he slowly changed his human form. In a blink of an eye, Reita’s face appeared sleeping on Kai’s lap. He had a gash on his cheek and his arm had a bite mark with dried up blood all over it. Reita grunted before his eyes opened up and he looked up at Kai. The alpha felt his chest warm up when he felt Reita open up to him again.

“Kai? What happened?” He mumbled as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He was quickly pulled into a hugged and felt Kai’s sadness and worry flow through him.

“I was so scared you would never come back to me.”

Reita closed his eyes and hugged his alpha back.

Kaoru yawned as he dumped a plate in the trash. It had been a long day so far. His shift was about over and he was getting his station cleaned up. IV was cleaning up the bar for the next bartender who was coming in. Kaoru tied off the trash bags from two of the garbage cans and pulled them out. He hauled them to the back door where he pushed it open to throw the bags in the dumpster. He dropped the bags real quick to light a cigarette before walking to the dumpster.

As he stepped closer, he heard rustling near it. He walked around to find a man wearing only boxers bent over the top digging through a bag. The man had shackles on his ankles and as he sat up the ones on his wrists became visible. His back was covered in what looked like long scratches and small cuts. He had raven hair that was a tangled mess. Kaoru cleared his throat startling the man who fell off the dumpster. He turned and pushed his back against the dumpster. His eyes were wide with fear and his breathing was short and fast. His body was shaking which was from a combination of the cold and fear. Kaoru sat the trash bags down and knelt in front of the man. That’s when he noticed the leather collar around his neck.

‘Another one?’ He thought. He offered his hand out making the raven haired man flinch. “I won’t hurt you. Do you want to come inside where it’s warm?”

The man hesitated, but slowly reached out to let Kaoru help him up. He whimpered and stumbled forward. Kaoru caught him and held his weight as they made it inside the restaurant. He took the stranger into the break room and had him sit down in a chair. Kaoru grabbed his jacket off the hook and wrapped it around the raven’s body making him shiver. He looked down the stranger’s leg to find his left ankle swollen and bruised.

“What’s your name?” Kaoru asked. The man opened his mouth but quickly shut it as he looked away. “Well I’m Kaoru. If you’re scared, I won’t hurt you. Do you live near here?”

The man began to fidget in the seat and shook his head no.

Kaoru nodded. “Do you have a place to stay tonight?” He was given the negative response again. The door opened up and IV stepped in yawning. He walked over to his locker not noticing the extra person in the room.

“Are you ready to head out? I’m tired.” He turned finally seeing the man in the chair. “Who’s that?”

            Kaoru and IV walked into the factory with the stranger on Kaoru’s back. As they walked in they heard the commotion of voices talking. They were the last to arrive home and found the foyer full of two wolf packs. The man’s grip tightened around Kaoru’s neck making him choke, but he didn’t say anything. Everyone took note of the sack on his back as he walked up Kyo and Yoshiki. Kyo was already glaring at him.

“Who’s this?” The leader asked.

“Found him by the dumpster. He’s hurt.”

Kyo shook his head in anger. “Kaoru, no. We can’t have any more people in our pack.”

“He doesn’t have any clothes. And he’s shackled.” Kaoru said bluntly. “You took Reita in. Will one more hurt?”

Yoshiki stood up with a smile. “My, my Kyo, your family is certainly getting bigger.”

“He’s not…” Kyo started, but saw the stranger’s scared face.

“Kyo.” Kaoru spoke up. “He’s starving. Please, for me?”

Kyo was surprised by the request. It wasn’t often that Kaoru actually asked something of him. He groaned and rubbed his head. “Fine.”

Kaoru bowed his head before walking away to Byou where they sat the man on the ground. Byou inspected the man’s ankle and wrapped it in a bandage as Kaoru grabbed him some food.

            Kai was up in the room with Reita. The blonde had his injuries bandaged up and they were laying together on a futon. Kai was holding Reita tightly in his arms as the omega slept. After he came to earlier, they had to tell him what happen and he was torn up by it. Reita wanted to be alone, but Kai wouldn’t allow it and stayed with him. The blonde was devastated that he had hurt his mate. Kai didn’t blame him though. They laid together kissing and nibbling each other until Reita had drifted off to sleep.

“Please don’t blame yourself for this. You have enough on your shoulders already.” Kai whispered. “Please, lean on me from now on and let me support you. I won’t leave your side. So please focus on recovering.”

            Uruha was sitting next to Ruki eating as they watched Kaoru across the room. He was hand feeding the man he had picked up like a little kid.

“Reminds me of Reita.” Ruki laughed. “You know being all filthy and fidgety.”

“Yeah, but Reita knew how to talk and could feed himself. What’s gotten into Kaoru? I’ve never seen him so… caring? Is that word?” Uruha said with a smile. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and took another bite of his soup.

“It is strange.” Ruki mumbled. Uruha hummed as he started fanning himself. Ruki took notice of the sweat on his lover’s neck and his flushed face. “Uru…”

The honey blonde smiled. “It’s that time again.”

“Of all the times for it to start!” Ruki groaned. “We’re going to be behind on news around here now. We won’t even get to visit with anyone!”

“Well don’t blame me for it!” Uruha snapped and they started their bickering among the other conversations around them.

Koichi and Mia were introducing Meto to Tsuzuku who immediately started playing with the young beta’s hair. Hide, the doctor of the pack, was talking with Saga about Reita’s condition. Teru was cuddled up with Kamijo as he spoke with Toshiya about his workshop and Sugizo, another beta, had quickly joined into their conversation. Tora ended up sitting with Kyo’s omegas as they told him how much the city has changed.

            Shinya was in his private room staring at the mirror. He looked at the large scar across his stomach and rubbed it. He heard the door open and shut behind him and familiar footsteps moved closer. Warm hands wrapped around his stomach and a forehead pressed against his back.

“Kyo…”He whimpered. “I’m so sorry.”

Kyo tightened his grip. “Shinya…”


	10. Wolves

_Reita was in his wolf form, but he was small as if he were a puppy. He was outside and it was snowing. The white fluff covered the ground as he hopped through it towards a pack of wolves._

_“Mom!” He yelped and laughed as he caught up. She was in her white wolf form as well. She leaned down and nuzzled against him. “Where are we going this time?”_

_“Kira” The pack leader had walked up to join them. She was a dark grey wolf and she was very large compared to him and his own mother. “It’s time.”_

_“But why him? Why our son? Yuca please.” She whimpered. The alpha wrapped her head around Reita’s mother’s neck._

_“We have no other choice.” Yuca said._

_“Mom? Momma? What’s going on?” Reita asked._

_“Akira.” Yuca turned her head to point towards a large brown wolf. “You need to go with him”_

_“But…”_

_“No buts. You will not return here.” She said. She leaned down and bit the scruff of his neck to carry him away. He watched as his mom closed her eyes and turned away from them. He whimpered as he was carried to the strange wolf. She dropped her pup and let a low growl. “Here. Now leave our lands and never return.”_

_He growled “I’ll come back as many times as I please.”_

_“Dogma! The deal was—”_

_“Deals change.” He growled and attacked her. Suddenly about twenty or so wolves hidden in the snow jumped out and started attacking the pack._

            “Mom!” Reita gasped as leaned forward and fell to his hands. He jumped when he felt a hand on his back. He looked up to see Saga smiling sadly at him. He helped the blonde sit back up to sitting cross legged.

“Are you okay to continue?” Saga asked and Reita nodded his head. “Okay. Close your eyes and relax. I want you to remember being in your wolf form during a happy time in your life.”

After a few minutes Reita opened his eyes. “I can’t remember anything.”

“Okay. Okay that’s fine. Let’s try something different. I want you to imagine yourself in a place all alone. I want you imagine your wolf side being there with you.”

Reita took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

            Kaoru was sitting in a chair across from the stranger that he had brought home. The man was currently wearing some of Kaoru’s clothes. Tsuzuku was behind the raven haired man brushing out the terrible tangles in his hair. Kaoru leaned forward in his chair.

“Do you think you can tell us your name now?”

The man looked down, rubbing his toes together. He whimpered when Tsuzuku tugged a little too hard on a knot. “Sorry!”

Kaoru reached over and grabbed the man’s now free wrist and rubbed it. Toshiya and Miyavi had spent the morning removing his bindings. The older man sighed as he looked up at the blushing stranger.

“Nothing will happen to you here. I’ll keep you safe.”

Tsuzuku looked up at Kaoru when he heard the man speaking so softly. He was surprised to see such a kind look in his eyes. He wasn’t used to seeing this kind emotion from the alpha.

            Ruki opened the door to the locked room and shut it behind him. He walked over to the fridge and filled it with the items from the bag he had brought up with him. He heard a soft growl from the side of the room. He looked over and saw Uruha sitting on his hands and knees completely naked.

“Why are you still wearing clothes?” He asked crawling forward.

Ruki smiled. “Because silly, I still had to get us some stuff from downstairs. Can’t walk outside naked now can I?”

“Well you’re in here now. So, why are you still dressed?” Uruha snapped. Ruki laughed and began taking his shirt off. He walked closer, but then Uruha grabbed him and pulled him down. Ruki gripped his hair and pulled him down into a kiss. He rolled over on top of his lover and reached down to unbuckle his pant.

“Hurry and put it in me.” Uruha growled. “I’ve waited long enough for you.”

Ruki fumbled with his pants as Uruha pulled him down for another kiss. He took in a deep breath of Uruha’s scent and his body burned with desire. He let out a low growl and pulled up from the kiss. Ruki’s eyes were dilated. Uruha stared up at the dark orbs as a wave of warmth flowed through his body. Ruki pulled his erection out finally and kicked away his pants before sitting between Uruha’s thighs. He looked down to find his lover already prepped himself. He grabbed the lube to the side and quickly coated himself. He groaned as he pushed himself in. Uruha moaned out as his lover began thrusting in him.

“Ru…Ruki!” He cried. Ruki’s heart pounded and he let out a deep animalistic growl. His teeth and nails sharpened as he pushed deeper into his lover. Uruha felt his lover transform inside him. He looked at Ruki to see him in between his human and wolf form. The honey blonde reached up and bit down on Ruki’s neck making him groan out. Ruki pushed in harder making Uruha cry out. The honey clawed down his lover’s back. Ruki reached down and gripped the honey blonde’s pulsing cock and pumped at it.

“Uru.” Ruki groaned. His eyes were narrowed as he wrapped his arms around the omega. Uruha whimpered in his lover’s embrace and he gasped as his body shuddered. Ruki felt the heat of Uruha’s cum hitting his fingers and chest. He continued to push into his lover until he felt the familiar heat fill his abdomen. He growled out and thrusted into his omega once more, releasing all of his seeds.

 He pulled out and they collapsed on the futon gasping for air. Ruki wrapped his arms around Uruha as he took deeps breaths of the omega’s scent. Ruki buried his nose into Uruha’s neck and took in the sweet aroma. The smell was sending waves of heat down to his groin. His body was getting ready for another round. Uruha gasped for air as he relaxed, but he could already sense the other wave coming. It was strange, he usually had about five to ten minutes between waves. His eyes shot open when he felt his cock growing again. He rolled over and sat on top of Ruki. Ruki opened his eyes. He was annoyed that Uruha moved so soon, but then noticed the arousal in his lover’s eyes. He looked down to find Uruha fully erect. The honey blonde gave a lustful smile as he gripped Ruki’s semi-hard cock. The brunette moaned and watched as Uruha slowly push himself down on it.

“Uruha…” He gasped.

“More. Need more” The honey blonde moaned. “I need more of you in me Ru.”

            Kaoru yawned from his futon when someone poked at his face. He growled. Whoever was waking him up was going to get it. He grabbed the hand and jumped up.

“What?” He barked, but was shocked to see the stranger. The raven was shaking, eyes wide and full of tears. Kaoru went rub the man’s face, but he flinched. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”

The stranger whimpered and sunk in on himself. Kaoru looked at his hair. It was brushed, straightened and cut to his shoulders. He petted the stranger’s head gently. “I’m sorry. I like your hair. Tsuzuku did a great job with it.”

The man gave a small smile and scooted closer to Kaoru. He leaned closer to his face, but moved past it to his ear. “Aoi.” He whispered in a soft, deep voice.

“Aoi?” Kaoru said. The man nodded his head and pointed at himself. “That’s your name?” He nodded again. Kaoru gave him a soft smile and rubbed his face. “Aoi. It’s a nice name.”

Aoi crawled over Kaoru’s body and sat on him. He grabbed some of the alpha’s hair and made a small braid.

“Kaoru.” Kyo snapped and Aoi jumped. He crawled off the alpha and hid behind him as he sat up. The pack leader was glaring down at them. Kyo looked at the man hiding behind him then back at the alpha. He sighed. “Be careful. We don’t know anything about him yet.”

With that, he walked away leaving them alone. Aoi gripped Kaoru’s shoulder and the brunette looked at him. “It’s okay. You’ll get used to Kyo.”

            _Reita was under a leafless oak tree on a hill surrounded by a forest. He looked out at the green sea of leaves then over at the setting sun. He turned to find a sickly white wolf lying beside the trunk of the tree. He moved closer and the wolf opened its yellow eyes to look up at him. Reita knelt next to the wolf. It had a shackle on each leg and a metal collar on. They were all chained to the tree roots around them. Reita went to pet the wolf, but found his hand unable to reach it. He looked down to find his hand in a shackle with a chain connected to the solid ground. Each of his limbs were chained back to where the wolf was just out of his reach. The wolf whined._

_“I’m sorry for being so weak.” Reita whispered. The wolf slowly closed its eyes as its body began to sink into the ground around them. Reita gasped and reached out for it, but the chains restricted his movements. “No please, I need you! Don’t leave me!”_

_The wolf stopped sinking and opened its eyes. The wind blew and the wolf’s body turned to into leaves. Reita reached for the leaves as they blew away into the forest._

            The blonde gasped out and fell forward grabbing at his chest. His body was covered in sweat and was shaking. Saga moved to touch him, but he flinched and started vomiting. Teru watched from the side and gripped his own shirt.

            Uruha was pressed up against the wall as Ruki pushed into his body. The brunette was holding up one of Uruha’s legs as he thrusted up into him releasing his load inside. They gasped and collapsed onto the floor. Ruki pressed his head against his mate’s neck and took a deep breath. The strong aroma of oranges filled his nose and sent shivers through his body.

“Ruki.” Uruha moaned, “More.”

Ruki looked down and watched his seeds drip out of his mate’s entrance. “Uruha…”

“More.” The honey blonde gasped. He turned to show his erection.

“Wait, Uru… at least drink some water first.”

“More.” He growled as he pushed Ruki on his back and crawled over him. The alpha growled and rolled them over. He slammed Uruha’s arms onto the floor.

“No! Uruha you need to take a break.” He snapped out. The honey blonde whimpered and started to cry. Ruki felt his chest churn in pain. He got up and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He took a drink before walking back. He sat next to his mate and forced him to drink the bottle. Uruha sniffled, but Ruki hugged him close. His mate has never acted this way before. It was starting to worry him.

“More.” Uruha whimpered. “Please. Ruki, I need more of you.”

He pushed his mate down and wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Okay, Uruha.”

            Kai stormed into the factory and rushed by everyone inside. He stomped past everyone who tried to greet him and even ignored Kyo. He went down the hall where he saw Saga and Teru standing outside a room. He growled at them and they moved out of his way so he could open the door. He stepped inside to see Reita lying in a futon with Hiroto sitting next to him. The omega smiled and stood up to greet Kai.

“What did they do to him?” Kai let out a low growl.

“He’s fine, Kai.” Hiroto said. “They didn’t do anything to hurt him. He just needs to rest.”

“Didn’t do anything?” Kai raised his voice. “I felt his distress, Hiroto.”

“Kai…” Reita whimpered as he sat up. The alpha moved to his side and knelt down. “I’m okay. Really.”

Kai sighed and nodded his head. He lifted the covers and laid down next to Reita. Hiroto watched as Kai pulled him into a hug before stepping out of the room.

            Kyo watched them walk out to the foyer. He and Yoshiki walked up to them as Saga scratched the back of his head.

“Well should have seen that coming.” He sighed.

“How is he?” Kyo asked.

Teru and Saga looked at each other, but Saga went ahead and spoke for them. “It’s bad Kyo. His bond with his inner wolf seems to be completely severed. It’s going to take a lot of work to fix him. I have an idea, but we need to wait until Reita’s feeling better to try it.”

“Very well.” Kyo said. A door slamming caught their attention and they looked up to see a shirtless Ruki standing outside the mating room door. The brunette had locked the door and leaned against it. He was drenched in sweat with his hair sticking to his face. He was breathing hard as he walked down to the foyer. He walked straight over to Byou.

“Something is wrong with Uruha.” Ruki said with a worried expression. “I don’t know what’s going on with him, but his waves are hitting him faster and harder than usual. I had to use my pressure to force him to drink water. He ended up just passing out on me. I don’t know how long I can keep this up.”

Byou started snickering with the others, but a low growl from Ruki silenced them. “I know my mate. I know when there is something off with him. Do not laugh. Where’s Shinya?”

Kyo’s eyes narrowed. “Resting.”

Yoshiki smiled. “Why don’t I have Hide take a look at him with Byou.”

“Thanks Yoshiki.” Kyo said and walked away. He went over to his private room and went inside. He slammed the door and walked over to the large bed with the lump on top of it. He pulled the blanket off his naked, curled up lover. Shinya opened his eyes and looked up at his alpha. Kyo pulled his shirt off and crawled over him. He leaned down to kiss Shinya on the lips.

            Hide stepped inside the room with Byou and Ruki. The brunette knelt down next to his mate who was sleeping soundly. Hide and Byou sat next to him and started their examination. Before they could start looking over him though, his eyes snapped open. Uruha growled as one hand covered his stomach and the other clawed out scratching Byou across the face. Ruki quickly pounced on his mate and held him down as Hide pulled Byou out of the room. Uruha rolled his body over onto Ruki and growled at him.

“Uru—” He was cut off by a kiss.

            Nao sat up against the wall of the dark room. He could hear the people outside his door. He had been visited by Hitsugi for food, not that he ate any of it. He was pissed because everyone was taking Reita’s side.

‘It wasn’t my fault. He’s to blame! Not me. If he wasn’t here…if he didn’t exist, Kai would be mine right now.’

He sniffled and flinched when he heard the door open. He looked up with a glare. Tora was standing there with a sandwich in his hand. The alpha walked up to him and sat down beside Nao. He tossed the sandwich next to the brunette.

“Eat.” Tora ordered. Nao shivered, but ignored the alpha. “Why did you do it? Why did you attack him?”

“He has to pay for taking Kai away from me.”

“You’re still obsessed with him. Nao…”

“Reita has to go.”

“Stop, Nao!” Tora shouted, making him jump. “Why are you doing this? Why are you only after him? What about us? What about Saga and me?”

“You left me!” Nao yelled. “You left me here all alone! Kai was all I had left! You left me.”

Tora reached over to pat his head, but Nao flinched and pulled away. “Nao, we couldn’t take you at the time. You were too sick at the time.”

“You left me. You should have stayed.”

“Nao you know I couldn’t do that.” Nao turned away from him. Tora sighed and stood up to walk away. As he made it to the door he looked back. “We’ve missed you. We were so excited when we heard we were coming to see you. All we wanted to do was go and hang out with you. We get here and you’ve been locked up for attacking another pack member. Damn it, Nao!”

“Just leave me.” Nao whispered. “That’s what you’re good. That’s what everyone is good at. Leaving me.”

“I don’t want to leave you Nao. I never did. Circumstances just forced us to split apart. I’ll come back later. Make sure to eat all of that.”

Nao heard the door shut and let tears flow from his eyes. He shook as he reached over and grabbed the sandwich to nibble at it.

            Reita opened his eyes when he felt a warm hand rub his cheek. He was staring straight into Kai’s dark eyes. He smiled softly before leaning and planting a soft kiss on Kai’s lips. The alpha pushed into the kiss gripping Reita’s hair. Reita moaned as his lips were forced open by Kai’s tongue. He gripped tightly at the alpha’s shirt. Kai closed his eyes and pressed his hips up against Reita’s making them both shiver. Kai moved his free hand down Reita’s side then moved it behind him. Reita gasped into the kiss as he felt his ass being gripped and his hips forced into Kai’s. He felt his cock growing from the friction. Kai smirked as he rolled on top of Reita’s body and started grinding against him.

            Reita pulled from the kiss and showed his neck to Kai. The alpha bit down on it and took in a deep breath of Reita’s scent. The aroma sent warmth down Kai’s body. Reita shivered and closed his eyes as felt the teeth dig into his skin. He clenched at Kai’s shirt and pushed his hips against him. Kai smiled. He pulled away, licking his lips. Reita saw the hunger in his lover’s hooded eyes. Kai reached down and unbuckled Reita’s pants making his face turn a deep shade of red. Reita quivered as he felt his hard member being pulled out. A warm hand began stroking him.

“K-Kai…” He gasped.

“Keep calling for me, Reita.” Kai smirked. “I’m the only one who can touch you this way. I’m the only one who can give you pleasure.”

Reita groaned as he closed his eyes. He turned his head and concentrated on the hand massaging his cock. He took in a sharp breath when he felt Kai biting down on his neck again.

            Kai sucked on Reita’s neck and bit down on it repeatedly. He let out a little pressure onto the blonde, but not too much. Just enough to send sensations of control over his body. Reita shivered as his mind started to float away. He felt like his body was lighter than air. The only thing he could feel was Kai’s body on top of him and his movements. Kai squeezed Reita’s member in his hand making him gasp out. Reita’s eyes shot up and he thrusted his hips up. Warm waves shot down his body and his muscles tightened up as he released his seeds. Kai smiled when he felt the warm cum hit his hand. He started to kiss Reita’s neck gently and gave him a few more strokes before letting go. Kai moved his other hand up to rub Reita’s cheek.

            After a couple of seconds Reita’s eyes blinked open and he was staring up at Kai. The omega’s face still had a pink hue to it. Kai moved down to catch Reita’s lips once more. They sat there kissing softly until Reita’s body calmed down and he was back to his normal start of mind. Kai moved to lay next his lover’s body again. Reita blinked tiredly at him.

“What about you?” He whispered.

Kai smiled and pecked Reita’s lips. “I’m okay. Go ahead and sleep for now.”

Reita closed his eyes without a second thought. Kai pulled his body into an embrace and kissed his head.

            Byou was sitting on a chair as Hide dabbed his face with an antiseptic clothe. Shou was standing next to them holding a tray of bandages and other medical supplies.

“Well that was unexpected.” Byou said. “My poor beautiful face!”

“Oh stop being dramatic.” Shou said rolling his eyes. “You’re barely even bleeding.”

“Still, he did that on purpose!” Byou shouted.

“Notice how he was being protective of his stomach.” Hide said grabbing a band-aid off the tray. He placed it on Byou’s forehead.

            Shinya gasped out and clenched the pillow he was laying on. His hips were up in the air as Kyo pounded into him. Kyo rubbed his hand down Shinya’s curved back as he continued pushing into his lover’s body. He moved his other hand down to grip his lover’s dripping member.

“K-Kyo!” He cried out. Kyo grunted and pushed once more releasing his load into Shinya’s body. He slowly pulled out and watched his cum drip out of his lover’s hole. He forced Shinya to turn on his back before lowering himself. Shinya gasped as he felt Kyo’s lips wrap around his member. He reached down and gripped his alpha’s black hair with both hands. Kyo sucked and swirled his tongue around before bobbing his head.

            Shinya clenched his eyes shut and cried out his lover’s name. Kyo felt the hot cum shoot into his mouth. He sucked and swallowed it before pulling off. Shinya gasped for air. He felt the bed move and opened his eyes to find Kyo standing up. His lover was putting on a pair of pants before sitting back on the bed edge. Shinya sat up and wrapped his arms around him. He placed his head on Kyo’s back. He knew Kyo wouldn’t cuddle with him. Kyo hadn’t really held him since the incident three years ago. Shinya pulled away and curled up on his side. He felt his lover get off the bed and heard him leave the room. He bit his lip as tears streamed down his cheeks. He brought a hand up to his nose.

“Will my scent ever return?” He whimpered.

            Kyo stood outside the room with his back against the door. Tears rolled down his face. ‘Will I ever earn the right to hold him again? Will the smell of cherry blossoms ever return to him? Will we ever heal?’


	11. Just Another Day

            Saga stood next to Teru in the middle of the foyer as Kai and Reita sat cross-legged across from each other. They held each other’s hands as they kept their eyes shut. Saga stepped forward and snapped his finger in front of them before looking back at Teru.

“They’re in Reita’s soul. Now all we can do is wait and see.”

_Reita opened his eyes to find himself on the hill underneath the leafless oak tree. He looked out at the forest surrounding him before turning around. Kai stood there and next to him was a black wolf. A thorny red vine was wrapped around Kai’s neck. Reita followed it down to find it was also wrapped around the wolf’s neck. They were connected. Reita also noticed a red string wrapped loosely around his mate’s wrist. Reita looked down at his own wrist to find it wrapped loosely around it too. Kai smiled and reached his hand out towards him. Reita smiled back as he moved closer and grabbed his mate’s hand. He looked down at the black wolf that was staring up at him. He reached over and petted its head. It leaned into the touch and Kai placed his head against Reita’s. They felt the string on their wrist grow a little tighter._

_Reita looked over at the oak tree to find a white wolf lying there with chains connecting it to the roots. He broke away from Kai and started walking to the wolf. To his other half. Kai followed close behind. Reita reached down to pet the wolf, but chains shot from the ground and wrapped around his limbs. He was brought down to his knees as the chains tightened around his body. Kai moved to go to his mate, but his own inner wolf was pulling him back. He looked down at his wolf form and it was staring straight at the white wolf._

_Reita struggled to lift his hand and to reach out. The wolf slowly opened its eyes to look him. Kai walked to them and knelt by Reita to show that he was still there. The black wolf sat to Reita’s other side. Reita continue to reach, but more chains shot up from the ground and wrapped around his wrist._

_“Please…” Reita gasped. “I want to be one with you again. I want to be whole.”_

_The white wolf lifted its head into the air. It sniffed at Reita’s hand. A deep laughed startled them all. Reita looked up to see a nasty black oil bubbling up from the ground. It quickly took a human form and soon features started to appear. Kai began to growl. The man’s body and face became clearer._

_“No…” Reita whimpered._

_“Akira,” The man smiled, “you belong to me. Come back to me Akira. Come back and fight like a good boy.”_

_“No!”_

_“Reita.” Kai gasped. “Ignore him. He’s not really here.”_

_“No?” The man frowned. “Akira, you know better than to defy my orders.”_

_“Stop it!” Reita cried out. He looked over to see his wolf sinking back into the ground. “Come back!”_

_“Reita! Remember what Saga said! There is darkness in your soul. He is the darkness. You can’t let him take you over or you’ll lose your inner wolf.” Kai shouted. “Reita listen to me.”_

_Reita gripped his own head. “I don’t want this! I don’t want you near me, master!”_

_The man scowled as his body began to melt down. “I will never leave your soul. Never forget that I control you.”_

_The black wolf growled as it charged out at the man, but he disappeared before the wolf could attack. Reita looked over that the half buried wolf. Reita pushed his arm out and reached for it again. He gasped as pushed through the chains holding him down. One came loose and fell to the ground. Reita placed the tip of his finger on the wolf’s snout. He watched as its eye slowly closed and its body turned into leaves that blew into the wind. The chains around his body broke apart and turned into ashes._

            Reita and Kai opened their eyes at the same time. They were staring at each other for a moment before looking over at Teru and Saga. The two were playing a card game on the floor next to them. Kai cleared his throat catching their attention. They jumped to their feet and smiled at them.

“Well this time was a lot better. I can already tell.” Saga said happily. “You didn’t have a negative reaction coming out of it.”

Reita smiled with a faint blush. “Thanks to Kai. He kept my mind on track.”

Teru gave a big smile. “This is great. You two just have to do this every day. I’m sure you’re be able to get your connection back soon.”

“Every once in a while you’ll need to try it alone though.” Saga added.

Reita nodded and squeezed Kai’s hand. His mate smiled at him.

            Uruha opened his eyes and saw Ruki’s sleeping face next to him. The alpha was breathing deeply. Uruha licked his lips before kissing his lover’s cheek. Ruki stirred awake only to find himself being flipped over onto his back. Uruha startle him and reached behind himself to start stroking Ruki’s member. He moaned at the touch, but his body was strained more than usual. He lifted his hand and petted Uruha’s face. The honey blonde pushed himself down on the semi-hard cock and licked his lips.

“Uru…” Ruki moaned.

Uruha smiled as he started moving up and down. He leaned down to kiss Ruki’s lips. Then he moved to whisper in his ear. “Give it to me.”

            Shinya threw his head back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling of the clinic breakroom. A knock came at the door and Shinya looked over to see Kyo standing there. His lover walked in and patted his head before sitting down in the chair beside him. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Kyo—” Shinya started, but was cut off.

“Let’s go out tonight.” Kyo said. “Just the two of us.”

“O-okay.” Shinya said. “What’s with this all of sudden?”

Kyo shrugged his shoulders and stood up. “We haven’t gone out on a date in long time. I’ll meet you at home, then we’ll head out. Think of somewhere you want to go.”

Shinya nodded and watched as his lover left as quietly as he had entered. He smiled softly to himself and warmth filled his chest. A knock came at the door again, but this time it was Shou.

“Your next patient is ready in room four.”

            Tora sat in the dark room looking at his old friend. Nao was busy glaring at the wall refusing to look at him. Tora sighed and stood up to walk over to his friend. He patted Nao’s head.

“Are you ever going to talk to me?” He asked.

“Get out.” Nao snapped. Tora dropped to his knees and pulled Nao into a hug. “Stop it! Leave me alone!”

“No! I won’t leave you again!” Tora shouted. He placed his head on Nao’s shoulder. “I talked to Yoshiki about this before we even came here. I asked him, if you were ready, if we could take you with us this time. I want you with us, Nao.”

“Liar.” Nao whispered. “Stop lying to me!”

“I’m not lying Nao! I want you to come with us, with me.” Tora whimpered. “I want you with me. I’ve missed you so much. So please listen to me. If you want to come with me this time you have to apologize to Reita and Kai. You have to move on from him before you can come with us.”

“I…” Nao whimpered. “I’ll think about it. Just leave me alone.”

Tora waited a minute before releasing his friend and leaving the room. Nao placed his head against a wall and closed his eyes. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

            Kaoru watched as Hide rewrapped Aoi’s ankle and placed a bag of ice on it. “Give it another day or two before you start walking around on it.”

Aoi nodded his head and they watched as Hide left the room. Aoi smiled at Kaoru who looked at him with a blank face. After a couple of minutes he sighed.

“I know you can speak.” He said. “So talk to me.”

Aoi twiddled his thumbs before smiling at Kaoru again. The alpha shook his head and stood up making the raven flinch. Kaoru walked over to him and knelt beside him. He noticed Aoi shaking as he moved closer.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly which threw Aoi off. He looked at Kaoru with wide eyes before grabbing his hand. Aoi led it to his chest and Kaoru felt his heart beating fast.

“Scared.” Aoi whispered.

“Why?”

Aoi closed his eyes. “Not supposed to talk.”

Kaoru’s eyes grew in surprise. “What do mean? Of course you’re allowed to talk.”

Aoi shook his head. “I’m punished for talking.”

Kaoru felt his insides boil with rage. Things were starting to clear up now and he was not liking the direction this was heading. “No one will hurt you here. I’ll protect you.”

Aoi looked away. “No one can protect me from _him_.”

“Who?”

“My master.”

A pain hit Kaoru’s chest like a train. “You no longer have a master. You’re free from him now. You’re a part of our pack which means you’re family. Family means we protect each other.”

“I…” Aoi hesitated. “I won’t be ‘used’ here?”

Kaoru didn’t want to know what was meant by used. “No, you won’t be…used. Nobody will hurt you here.”

“K-Kaoru?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.” He whispered.

            Reita smiled as he picked up a ball of snow and threw it at Kai. They were chasing each other around and throwing snow at each other. Kai tackled Reita to the ground and started kissing his face. Reita grabbed a hand full of snow and smacked it into Kai’s head making him yelp. Reita pushed himself from underneath him and he started running again. Kai chased him outside the factory compound. He caught up to the blonde and held his hand as they started walking down the road. They headed into town and went to small ramen shop. They sat down and ordered themselves a bowl of food. They held hands under the table and Reita laid his head on Kai’s shoulder as they waited. Reita swallowed hard. Just the thought of food made him nauseas, but he didn’t want Kai to worry so he stayed quiet about it.

            Kyo walked into the foyer with IV behind him to find everyone home for the evening. He was greeted by his pack and by some of Yoshiki’s pack. He walked forward towards his room where he found his mate looking in the mirror. He was wearing plain blue jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. His hair was brushed and had been flat ironed. Kyo smiled and walked closer to his lover.

“You look beautiful.” He whispered, making Shinya jump. The blonde turned and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Let me change and we can head out.”

            After Kyo switched out from his sweaty clothes to some clean jeans and a white shirt they walked out. Kyo placed Yoshiki in charge as they walked out of the door. They got to the entrance when they spotted Kai and Reita coming back in. Kai smiled as he led his mate in. Kyo ignored them and grabbed Shinya’s hand.

“What do you want to do?” He asked.

Shinya smiled. “Let’s go downtown.”

Kyo nodded at the request and hailed a taxi that was passing by. The entire drive there, they stayed quiet, but kept holding hands. Kyo was staring out the window as Shinya was staring at him.

            After they got out of the cab, they walked to a street vendor for some food. They walked quietly down the sidewalk eating takoyaki. Shinya smiled as he placed one of his takoyaki in front of Kyo’s mouth. The alpha took the food into his lips and licked Shinya’s fingers in the process. Shinya giggled as they continued on. After they finished eating they tossed their trash and Shinya spotted a familiar bridge. He grabbed Kyo’s hand dragged him towards it. Kyo gave a soft smile as they made their way to the bridge. The blonde let go of his hand and jogged up to the middle of the bridge and looked over the edge at the frozen river below. Kyo walked up beside him and looked down at the ice.

“This is where we went on our first date when we moved here.” Shinya whispered.

“I remember.” Kyo said softly. “This is also where we decided on her name.”

The blonde closed his eyes and clenched his fists. “It’s where you gave me my first baby gift.”

“Where you almost pushed me into the river for groping you on the train.”

“Where we did it for the first time in public.”

“This is where I thought about killing myself.” Kyo said seriously. Shinya looked at him with a surprised look.

 “Kyo…”

He smiled again. He grabbed Shinya’s hand and moved to kiss his lover. The blonde closed his eyes and hugged him.

            After spending about an hour on the bridge, the two of them finally started walking around town. They wanted to get away from their sad memories. They visited a few shops and explored new stores that just opened up. They walked into an adult store and started looking around. Shinya grabbed a whip and snuck up to Kyo. He smacked his lover’s butt with it and ran away. Kyo chased after him grabbing a whip of his own and getting revenge. They grabbed toys off the wall and would hit each other with them.

Shinya grabbed a few outfits and placed them in front of Kyo’s body making him scowl. Shinya snickered before grabbing a fishnet outfit and holding it in front of himself. Kyo’s gave him a perverted smile and held up a dildo. They busted out laughing and put the stuff up then left before they got banned from the store. It was fun acting like teenagers again. They headed inside a few more places and messed around before hauling ass out without getting anything. After a while they grew bored with their own antics and started for home.

It wasn’t long before they were heading inside their home. They walked in quietly as to not wake anyone up, but found everyone was still wide awake. Yoshiki seemed to have a small group on the edge of their seats as he told them a story. Kamijo seemed to be performing some play act with Teru in front of another group. They were laughing as Kamijo pointed at Teru and said ‘it was you!’ Another group was sitting around Byou and Tsuzuku as they talked about some hairstyles and clothing design ideas.

Yoshiki noticed their entrance and waved his hand in the air. “Welcome home!”

Everyone turned and started waving as they walked in closer. Kyo walked up next his friend and smiled. “What crazy story are you telling them this time?”

“The time when we thought it was a good to dress up like girls and try to get into that adult club. Remember?”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh.” Shinya said. “The one where that old man grabbed Kyo’s ass and he beat the crap out of him for it? Then you guys had to run away for like an hour because he was a yakuza and was chasing you guys down.”

“That’s it!” Yoshiki shouted.

“Shut up, Shinya.” Kyo groaned through his teeth and everyone laugh. He rolled his eyes and turned away from them. He spotted Ruki stepping outside his room and locking the door before leaning against it. He was shirtless again. The smell of sex caught everyone’s attention and a lot of eyes were on him. He didn’t seem to notice though. He stumbled to the staircase making a few people laugh.

“Hey, Ruki. Is Uruha too much for you to handle?” Byou shouted. He always picked on Ruki during Uruha’s heat week. The comment was ignored by the brunette. Ruki carefully took a couple of steps down before his foot missed one and he tumbled down the stairs.

“Ruki!” Many of the wolves shouted. Shinya, Kyo, and Byou all ran to him. Yoshiki spread his pressure to keep everyone quiet.

            Shinya knelt down with Byou and lifted Ruki’s head. He had a small cut on his chin, but nothing else seemed physically wrong with him, until Shinya noticed the lack of sweat. Byou patted Ruki’s cheek.

“Hey, Ruki can you hear me?”

The brunette groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he was able to focus in on the figures above him. “Hey…what’s up?”

“What’s up? Dude you fell down the stairs.” Byou said.

“Oh…”

“When’s the last time you had something to drink?” Shinya asked. Ruki hummed and shrugged his shoulders. “Byou, he’s probably dehydrated. Go get him some water.”

The alpha nodded his head and rushed out of the room. Kyo shook his head. “Ruki, you’re supposed to take care of yourself too you know.”

“I know.” He whispered. “Got carried away.”

A few of the others snickered earning a glare from Kyo.

“It’s late.” Yoshiki announced. “Why don’t we all start hitting the sack?”

Kyo looked back at Ruki as everyone started to disperse. “Are you going make it?”

Ruki smirked. “I always manage somehow don’t I?”

Kyo shook his head and Byou came back with a couple of bottles of water and handed one down to Shinya.

            After he downed both bottles he sat up against the wall. Everyone had started lying down and it became quiet very fast. Ruki opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

“He’s calling me again.” He said a slowly stood up.

“Take it easy.” Byou said. “He can wait a little longer.”

“No, he really can’t. I’ll be fine don’t worry.” He said. They watched as he headed back up the stairs. He unlocked the door and stepped inside only to be attacked by his mate’s lips.


	12. Snowstorm

            Uruha opened his eyes and sat up with a yawn. He stretched out and popped his back before looking down at his sleeping mate. He smiled and leaned down to give him a kiss before cuddling up next to him. Ruki didn’t budge. Uruha laughed quietly. He knew he could be a handful during his heat and Ruki was always exhausted afterwards. He gently rubbed Ruki’s hair out of his face before pressing a kiss on his forehead. Ruki moaned out a little before opening his eyes slowly.

“Hey sleepy head.” Uruha said happily.

Ruki gave a small tired smile. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Great actually. I’m ready to take a bath.” Uruha smiled. Ruki gave a slow nod before sluggishly raising up to his knees. Uruha watched with a loving smile as his lover stumbled over to his pants and struggled to pull them on. Ruki leaned up against the wall and took a deep breath before unlocking the door.

            Ruki shut the door behind him and walked down the stairs to find a bunch of futons and blankets laying together in the middle of the foyer. He scratched his head and continued to walk towards his and Ruki’s private room. He pulled out some items and stepped back out to find Tsuzuku and Toshiya setting down a pile of blankets.

“What’s going on?” Ruki mumbled.

“A snowstorm is about to hit. We’re getting the foyer ready and everyone is spread out around the factory boarding up the windows and doors. We have a group out getting supplies and boarding up the businesses.” Toshiya said. “The storm will probably last a few days or so.”

“Okay…well we’re going to take a bath and probably go back to sleep.” Ruki said and started walking away before they could answer. He stumbled up the stairs and stepped back into the room to find Uruha standing up eating a banana with a big smile on his face. Ruki gave a soft smile in return.

            Kai was at his café with Hitsugi boarding up the windows like every other business around them. They had been there all morning securing the place and was finally finishing up with the door. Kai wiped the sweat from his brow and stepped back with a satisfied smile. He and Hitsugi grabbed their left over things and started walking towards the clinic. They had trouble walking through the already knee high snow. Kai looked up at the sky to see the dark clouds coming in closer.

            As they made it up to the clinic where they found Kyo and Kaoru hammering wood planks on the windows. Aoi was standing next to Kaoru holding a box of nails. They walked up to them as a mother and daughter exited the clinic doors.

“Need some help?” Kai asked lifting his tools. Kyo nodded towards the window next to him that needed to be worked on. Kai walked to the window and lifted plank from the pile sitting next to him. He looked inside to find Reita sitting in front of a small girl in the waiting room. She was sitting on her father’s lap wiping her eyes. Reita was waving his hands around and everyone around them started laughing. He reached over and wiped the girl’s cheeks off. He stood up and offered his hand to her which she gladly grabbed. He led her to the back with her father following close behind. A cough caught his attention and he looked at Hitsugi who was standing there with his arms crossed. Kai apologized before getting to work.

            Reita was putting a file away when Hide walked in from the back leading a patient out to the exit. He smiled at Reita and Shou before grabbing another file. He skimmed through it and placed it back down then did the same for the last of the stack. Reita stood up and grabbed the next file in line and walked to the door to call the next patient back. A young woman fidgeting in her seat followed him back to exam room two where he dropped her off. He went to the break room to tell Byou his next patient was ready, but found other familiar faces instead. Kai smiled as he held a cup of coffee.

“All we have left is the main door and we’ll be done.” He said taking a sip of his drink. Kyo was sitting at the table drinking from his cup with Shinya standing behind him massaging his shoulders. Aoi was standing behind Kaoru who was leaning against the wall. Reita walked over to them with a smile.

“Aoi, how are you feeling today?” He asked hoping to finally get a word out of him, but the man just hid more behind Kaoru’s body. The alpha sighed and shook his head. Reita took the hint and walked away. As he passed Kai he rubbed his hand against the alpha’s arm. Kai smiled in return and watched the blonde walk out.

Reita went on his hunt to find Byou, but when he stepped into the hall he found the fidgeting woman standing outside of her room. He walked up to her with a smile.

“It will only be a few more minutes and you’ll be seen by a doctor.”

She looked up with wide twitching eyes. She lifted her arm and in her hand was a pocket knife. “Give me drugs. Give me all your drugs.”

“W-wait a second now. We don’t actually carry medicine here. The doctor prescribes them as needed. You get them at the pharmacy.” Reita tried to explain. She swiped the knife and Reita lifted his arm on instinct. She grazed his hand with the knife before stepping back. He looked sadly at her. She yelled as she stabbed the knife directly at Reita’s chest.

            Kai felt a sting in his hand and he felt a wave of sadness flow through his chest. He stood up right and sat his cup down. He walked towards the door when they all heard a woman scream. Kai darted out the door and looked down the hall to see Reita’s back and woman in front of him. They all ran down towards him to find something surprising. Reita was holding the woman’s wrist as she had a knife an inch from his chest. She tried pulling her arm from his grip, but he didn’t budge. He looked at her with sad eyes. He reached is hand out and patted her head. Her eyes welled up with tears and she fell to her knees crying.

“Just give me the drugs!” She shouted. She slumped her body and let go of the knife. Reita let go of her so she could curl up on herself.

            Shinya had called the cops and had the woman arrested. Reita had sat with her and kept calm until the police arrived. They finally found Byou who was outside smoking at the time. He was now bandaging up the small cut on Reita’s hand. Shinya and Hide continued to help the last of the patients. Byou had joined them after he was done with Reita. The blonde sat quietly in the breakroom. Kai walked in and sat next to him.

“Hey what’s wrong?”

“That woman…”

“Don’t worry about her. Those types of people try that stuff all the time.”

Reita sniffled and placed his head on Kai’s shoulder. “She reminded me of an old friend. Riza. She was a fighter like me. But then my master did something to her. He injected her with something different one day and she became just like that. Begging for her next hit until she…”

Kai rubbed his lover’s head. “I’m sorry.”

“I tried to save Riza, but my master…he wouldn’t let me.”

“Well you saved this one. She’s going to get help now.” Kai said lifting Reita’s face. He placed a soft kiss on the blonde’s lips. Kyo was standing in the doorway listening in silence. The lights flickered and thundered rolled. The lovers looked at each other, then at their leader.

            After the last patient was gone, Kyo and Hitsugi boarded up the door and the group headed back to the factory. They trudged through the high snow as the wind started to blow hard against them. Reita looked up at the dark sky as flakes of snow started to fall. He held his hand out to catch the flakes. The group stopped in front of him and looked back at him.

“Reita.” Kai spoke. Reita looked at them and started to walk but something caught his foot. He fell face first into the cold fluff. Kai trudged to his lover, but the omega raised up and started laughing. Everyone started laughing with him. Kai reached down to help him up, but was pulled down instead. Reita has a huge smile on his face as he threw a ball of snow on Kai’s head making the others laugh more. Kyo shook his head with a small smile as the two pushed snow onto each other. However, thunder stopped their movements and reminded them of the upcoming storm.

            The group finally entered the factory foyer a little late to find everyone huddling in some blankets. Kyo spotted Uruha talking with Tsuzuku while Ruki slept on his lap. The honey blonde was rubbing his lover’s head. Yoshiki was talking a couple of his pack as they approached him. Tora and Saga looked over at Kai, then at Kyo.

“We need to talk in private, Kyo.” Yoshiki said and started to lead the other pack leader away. Once they were away from everyone he continued speaking. “Kyo, we have a problem.”

“What is it?”

“Nao.”

“Did he get out?” Kyo asked worriedly.

“No, but he can’t stay in that room during the storm. He’ll freeze in there if the electricity goes out.”

“I can’t risk him attacking Reita again.”

“Tora said he would take full responsibility for Nao and watch him during the storm.” Yoshiki watched as Kyo scowled and crossed his arms. “Don’t you think it’s time that pup came under my wing?”

“Yoshiki…I’m not sure if he’s ready to change packs. To change his lifestyle.”

“Well you have to do something. Why not try this? I promise to take great care of him.”

Kyo thought for a moment and shook his head. “Very well. Tell Tora to let him out. I’ll inform my pack.”

            Tora opened the door to the dark room where he found Nao sitting in the same spot as last time. He walked up and sat next to him.

“Nao.” He whispered grabbing his friend’s shoulder. “You can come out now.”

“What?” He mumbled and looked at Tora with tired eyes.

“You’ll have stay with me the whole time, but a storm is coming and we can’t leave you in here. So if you promise to behave then you can leave the room.”

Nao looked at the wall for a minute before slowly rising to his feet. His knees popped and he stumbled when he started walking. Tora caught him and held him against his chest making him blush. Nao pushed off him and slowly walked out of the room to see Saga smiling at him. He felt Tora walk up behind him.

“What?” Kai’s growl echoed in the foyer. Nao looked down to see his ex-mate and Kyo talking to each other. Reita had his hand on Kai’s shoulder. The alpha looked up at Nao and let out a growl but Tora stepped in his line of sight. Nao grabbed the back of Tora’s shirt and Reita pulled at Kai’s arm to tug him away.

            Everyone could feel the tension rise in the room from the moment of Kai’s outburst. Tora made sure to keep Nao on the other side of the room from Kai. Reita forced Kai to sit and give the blonde a massage. Hitsugi and Uruha were laughing at how Kai was so easily calmed by Reita. Kaoru was peeking outside the door to see the wind picking up and the thunder was becoming louder. He sighed and shut the door and locked it up. He turned to see Aoi standing there smiling.

“Let’s head back to the foyer.” He said and started to walk, but Aoi grabbed his arm.

“Kaoru…”

“What is it?”

“I need to talk to you.” He mumbled pressing his head against Kaoru’s shoulder.

“I’m listening.”

Aoi gripped the alpha’s sleeve tighter. “Earlier. When we were working on fixing up restaurant’s windows I saw _him._ ”

“Who?” Kaoru asked.

“My…my master.” He whimpered. “He smiled and waved at me then left.”

The alpha pulled away, but gipped Aoi’s shoulders. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

His eyes watered up. “I was scared. I didn’t want Kyo to force me to leave. I didn’t want to cause any trouble for you all.”

Kaoru rubbed the omega’s cheek gently and stepped closer. “You won’t cause any trouble for us. Kyo won’t make you leave because I want you to stay. I said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ll protect you.”

Aoi froze as the alpha came closer to his body. Kaoru leaned in grazing his lips against the raven’s chapped ones, but Aoi quickly turned his head away and stepped back to hug himself. Kaoru closed his eyes as he turned and started walking back towards the foyer. Aoi bit his bottom lip as he ran up behind him. They entered the large room just as the lights flickered. Thunder shook the factory silencing the pack. Kyo clapped his hands bringing everyone’s attention to him.

“Let’s get ready to rest for the night.” He announced.

            Soon the room was dark and everyone was huddled together on the futons. Kai held Reita in his arms as they shared a blanket. Uruha had cuddled up beside Ruki who was still knocked out from earlier that day. Tsuzuku, Hitsugi, IV, and Takeru were piled up on each other. Some of Yoshiki’s pack were piled up in a similar fashion next to them. Miyavi was curled up in a ball under some blankets as Melody slept next to him, using Toshiya’s thighs as a pillow. Shou and Hiroto were both using Byou as a pillow. Kyo had fallen asleep leaning against Yoshiki’s back while Shinya laid on his lap. Hide was mirroring him and using Yoshiki as a pillow as well. Tora and Saga slept quietly with Nao in between them, but the young wolf wasn’t asleep like the rest of them were. His eyes opened up and he slowly sat up. He was silent as he stood up and waited to see if anyone was awake before moving. Unknowing to him, eyes across the room followed his movements.

            Nao carefully stepped over the sleeping bodies and made his way to the opening of the hallway. He crept his way down and turned right to go towards to the kitchen. He walked in and headed straight to the counter where the knives sat. He grabbed the large chef’s knife and pulled it out. He stared at the blade through the darkness. He squeezed the handle and turned around. He walked back to the foyer and scanned the room once more before proceeding to his target. He stepped over the bodies in the room. Eyes followed him, but the owner didn’t make any movements from his spot against the wall. Nao stood over the lovely couple holding each other as they slept.

            ‘Kai was supposed to be mine. If I can’t have him, no one can.’ He thought glaring at the alpha. He raised the knife in the air. Before he could move to strike a hand wrapped around his mouth and one grabbed his hand. He felt the body behind him press against him.

“Let it go.” Tora whispered. Nao closed his eyes and let the alpha take the knife from his hand. He dropped his arm and tears rolled down his cheeks. “Nao, look at them. They’re mated. They’re in love. Reita has Kai and you will never get him back. But you have me. Let me be a part of you. Let me take Kai’s place and let me love you.”

Nao whimpered and fell into Tora’s embrace. Tora looked over at the wall and saw Kaoru standing there halfway through changing into his wolf form. He was reverting back into his human form looking at them.

“Thank you.” Tora whispered and Kaoru moved back down to sit next to Aoi’s sleeping form. Tora pulled Nao away and forced him to lie down. The pup began to cry, but warm arms surrounded his body. Saga pulled him in close as Tora moved down wrap his arms around the both of them.

            Kaoru petted Aoi’s face and continued to watch over the pack. Thunder continued to roll throughout the night and soon it began to grow cold in the building. The electricity had gone out so the heat was no longer available. Aoi shivered on the floor and curled up. Kaoru moved down and laid next to him hold him close. Kaoru closed his eyes finally allowing sleep to take over his body.

            A particular loud thunder startled a few of the pack members awake including Reita. The blonde sat up from his spot and looked around the room to see a few others sitting up too. The doors at the front began to shutter as the wind continued to beat against it. He sighed and laid back down. He closed his eyes with a deep breath and relaxed his body.

            When Reita opened his eyes again he was sitting under the leafless oak tree. He quickly looked around to find himself alone. Even his inner wolf was nowhere to be found. He stood up to find the normally green forest around him was now brown. The sun was covered in grey clouds. He walked to where his inner wolf usually laid to find only the roots of the tree. Reita pressed his hand against the tree and found it warm. A wind blew hard and pushed him into the tree. He turned to find a familiar man standing behind him. Reita gasped but before he could move chains wrapped around his body. Dogma was smiling as he raised his arm up. A black slime shot from his hand and wrapped around Reita’s mouth silencing him. The chains pulled his body down to the ground. Dogma walked up to him and pressed his foot on his head. He dug Reita’s head into the ground making him whimper.

            Kai felt off. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite place it. He shook it off as being in the place between awake and dreaming. As he fell into his dream again he felt a pull at his chest. It was familiar. It was Reita. Kai opened his eyes, but he wasn’t back in the foyer. He was looking up at a cloudy sky. He heard a moan and turned to find Reita chained down and being consumed into a man’s body. Black slime was covering his body.

“Reita!” Kai shouted, but found his voice silent. He tried shouting again, but nothing came out. The man smiled towards Kai as Reita tried to break free from his bindings. Kai moved to step forward, but slime wrapped around his body and forced him to the ground. He struggled and glared at the laughing man.

Kai took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He concentrated on his owner inner self. Brown eyes opened up and the figure walked up the hill. The black wolf looked over at his own human form. He charged forward and jumped into the air. Kai growled out and tackled into the slime figure. Reita’s eyes grew wide when he saw the wolf.

‘Kai.’ He whimpered to himself. He pulled at the bindings and forced himself to lift up. The slimed leg shook as it was pushed up. A green leaf floated in front of him and a gust of wind hit them. Reita blinked only to find a white wolf sitting in front of him. It was still thin and sickly. It faced the man and let a low growl. The man swung and threw Kai off toward his human form. When the wolf collided with him, it burst into a hundred rose petals. Kai’s human eyes opened up and he looked up at Reita struggling to stand up.

“Don’t touch my Kai!” Reita yelled breaking a few chains. The man’s whole body had turned into a pile of moving sludge with only half his face still showing. Sludge moved out forming into three thin spikes. Reita’s inner wolf growled. Two of the spikes stretched out aiming towards Kai’s body.

“Kai!” Reita screamed out and the wolf darted past him. Kai watched as the white canine ran in front of him and was impaled by the two spikes. He heard a gasp and looked back to see the third spike sticking out of Reita’s chest. He felt himself scream, but everything became silent. The white wolf turned into leaves, but instead of floating away they moved over to Reita and wrapped around the spike in his chest. The sludge harden and broke apart letting Reita fall to his side. Kai watched as the sludge spikes and the whole ball harden then break apart.

He felt his the slime around his body fall off allowing him to move freely. The cluster of leaves floated to the tree roots and took the form of the white wolf once more where it was chained to the roots. Kai stumbled over to Reita’s body and knelt beside him. The blonde laid motionless as Kai lifted his body into his arms.

“Reita?” Kai he whimpered. His face began to crackle and take the shape of leaves. He watched as his lover turned into leaves and a wind pulled them away. “Reita!”

            “Kai! Wake up!”

Kai’s eyes shot open and he was looking straight up at Kaoru and Kyo’s faces. He jumped up and turned to find Reita on his side vomiting with Uruha rubbing his back. He crawled over and pushed Uruha to side. He lifted Reita’s teary-eyed face and pressed his head against the blonde’s own. He pulled Reita into a tight hug and let him cry out. They ignored the stares they were getting and just embraced each other. Kyo waved his hands signaling everyone to disperse, but Saga sat next to them.

He whispered. “Calm down. Take a few breathes and get a hold of yourselves. When you’re ready you need to talk about it.”

Meto walked up to them holding a bucket of water and a rag. Uruha stepped over and grabbed it from him and sat next to Reita’s mess to clean it up. Kyo watched from a few feet away with a worried expression


	13. After the Storm

            For three days the pack was sitting without electricity as the storm ran through. They sat huddled together to keep warm most of the time and only dispersing to eat or use the bathroom. Finally on the fourth morning their electricity returned and the first thing everyone did was run to take a bath. The large bath was filled with hot water and everyone got in line to scrub down and relax for a bit. Uruha was cuddled next to Ruki as he splashed Teru and Meto with water. Kamijo was sitting on the edge with his legs crossed watching them as Hide jumped right in to join them. Tora had pulled Nao inside along with him and Saga. The pup pouted and leaned over the edge of the tub. He watched as the wolves outside the tub were scrubbing themselves down. Reita was sitting on a small wooden chair as Kai sat in front of him scrubbing his arms with a rag. The brunette had a soft smile on his face.

            Nao kissed his teeth before standing up and walking out of the room. He stomped past them not even looking at them as he grabbed a towel and walked out. Tora sighed as he followed him out of the bathroom. Kai chose to ignore the tantrum and focus on his mate. He rubbed Reita’s cheek, who gave him a small smile in return. Kai moved around and scrubbed Reita’s back. He smirked before leaning against the blonde’s ear. He whispered something and Reita’s face turned a bright red. He turned his head only to be kissed by his alpha. Uruha snickered at the scene before turning his attention back to Ruki.

            Shinya opened his eyes as he soft lips glide down his neck. He and Kyo were in their private bathroom laying in the warm water. He gasped out as he the strong hands slide down his sides. Kyo placed kisses down Shinya’s chest and licked his nipple. The beta shivered. Shinya petted Kyo’s damp hair as he licked down the pale stomach. Shinya watched as Kyo’s hair dipped under the water so he could kiss the grotesque scar. Tears pricked at his eyes. Kyo pulled up from the water and saw his lover’s eyes watered up. He moved up and kissed under Shinya’s eyes. Kyo slowly pressed his lips against his lover’s own. Shinya closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Kyo’s neck to pull him closer.

            Kai watched as the last of the pack walked out of the bathroom leaving him and his mate all alone. Reita was leaning against him with his head on Kai’s shoulder. Kai rubbed his fingers through the blonde hair. He gently pulled Reita’s head back and pressed a kissed on his lips. The omega hummed into the chapped lips of his lover. Kai squeezed his mate’s shoulder before rubbing his hand down the pale skin. Reita gasped feeling the hand rub down his stomach. Kai took this chance to force his tongue into his mate’s mouth. Reita rubbed Kai’s cheek and pushed his tongue against the alpha’s own. Kai gripped Reita’s flaccid cock and started pumping it. The blonde let out a soft moan and pulled away.

“Kai…” He gasped.

“Be quiet. Just enjoy.”  Kai order and shoved his tongue back into Reita’s mouth. He used his free hand to rub one of Reita’s nipples. The blonde focused on his lover’s hands as he felt his body warm up and his cock harden. He reached a hand out and rubbed Kai’s chest down to his stomach. Kai opened his eyes when his felt his Reita’s fingers feather down to his semi-hard member. Reita slowly opened his eyes to catch his mate’s gaze. Kai pulled his head away as Reita gently gripped him.

“You, too.” Reita whispered.

Kai rubbed his lover’s cheek. “I may not be able to hold back.”

“I don’t want you to hold back.” Reita said with a smile. He moved his leg over and sat on Kai’s lap. He leaned in and kissed the alpha’s cheek then licked it. Kai rubbed his hands against Reita’s thighs. He slowly moved them behind his lover and gipped his butt cheeks. Kai squeezed them and pulled Reita closer to his body. Their cocks pressed against each other. Reita caught Kai’s lips once more as his lover massaged his backside. The blonde thrusted his hips into Kai’s rubbing against him. Reita moved a hand between them and gripped the two members. He started moving his hand, but felt Kai’s own hand over his own. They both started moving their hands at the same time.

            Kai smirked as he slipped a finger in between Reita’s butt cheeks and rubbed against his hole. He pressed his middle finger inside making Reita gasp in surprise. The blonde looked at his alpha with half lidded eyes. Kai gave a lustful smile as he moved his finger in and out. Reita gasped and dropped his head on Kai’s shoulder. The brunette bit down on his mate’s neck as he thrust his finger. Reita struggled to keep his pace of his hand up.

“I want to fuck you.” Kai gasped breathing in Reita’s scent. The smell of vanilla filled his nose.

“Kai…”Reita groaned. He pulled up and gripped his lover’s cheeks. He felt Kai slip in a second finger and he placed his forehead on his alpha’s forehead. “…not here.”

Kai smiled.

            Kai held onto Reita’s wrist as he practically dragged the blonde down through the hallway, ignoring everyone. They walked through in their towels and headed up the stairs. Kyo’s eyes followed them as they practically ran up the stairs. He sighed as he sat up. Shinya grabbed his shoulder and looked worriedly at him. Without saying a word Kyo nodded his head and stood up. He started for the stairs to stop the affair, but Yoshiki walked up to him with a smile.

“Kyo, I need to speak with you.”

“In a minute.” Kyo said trying to pass him, but Yoshiki persisted.

“There are a few matters I need to discuss with you.”

“In. A. Minute.” Kyo growled.

“Have they not bonded yet?” Yoshiki asked, nodded his head at the stairs. “Is that why you’re wanting to stop them? It’s their natural instincts as mates to make love. Some advice from me to you. Let them bond already. It’ll save you a lot of trouble.”

“You don’t get it.” Kyo sighed. “Reita…”

Yoshiki raised an eyebrow at Kyo’s hesitation. “Well go on with it.”

“I’ve already told you of Reita’s trauma.”

“Yes, yes a tragic story. But in order for him to heal he needs to be able to have contact. He needs to know what the love of another feels like. He needs to know that there is more to life than pain and suffering. With trust in a mate he’ll be able to see that his life is not about fighting. He’ll be able feel happiness, love, and compassion. Feelings that are foreign to him.”

“I fear it’s too much for him.” Kyo said.

“Too much?” Yoshiki asked. “How long has the pup been here for? Two or three months?”

“Just under three months.”

“And he’s doing great. He has come a long way.”

“Reita has suffered too much already!” Kyo growled. “I will not risk a broken bond. Now move.”

Yoshiki stepped aside to allow the pack leader to pass. He watched as Kyo headed up the stairs he looked over at Shinya who stared sadly at the stairs. Yoshiki looked from Shinya to the stairs then back at the beta. A familiar painful look was on the young man’s face. He walked over to Shinya.

The beta smiled. “He’s doing what he thinks is best.”

“He tries to hide his thoughts, but he lets them slip out on occasion. Your bond isn’t broken.”

“Yes it is.” Shinya whispered. “We try to feel, but we can’t.”

“You two are suffering from a recent tragedy. Time will heal your wounds.”

“Nothing has healed.” Shinya whispered. “Nothing will ever heal.”

“Shinya…”

“Did you know that I haven’t gone into another heat since it happened? My smell is gone, too. Reita isn’t the only broken wolf around here.”

Yoshiki sighed. “Time heals all wounds. Reita is broken. You’re broken. That new stray over there, what’s his name, Aoi. He’s broken too. You each have some tragic story, but each of you have a way to heal. Shinya, your body will heal when it’s time to be healed. But first you must forgive yourself. Your bond is strained because you refuse to talk about what happened. You refuse to bring it up.”

“We…”Shinya whimpered.

“You need to talk to each other.”

Shinya turned his head away and looked at the surrounding pack. They were pretending not to be listening. Shinya turned away and walked to his private room.

            Kyo had made his way up to the fourth floor and walked down the hallway. He stopped in front of a door where he heard a soft laugh. It was followed by a moan. Kyo pushed the door open to see Kai on top of Reita, both naked. Reita’s legs sat open with Kai in between them as he played with the omega. Kai had his hand between their bodies moving it up and down. A bottle of lube was sitting to the side.

“Stop.” Kyo order, startling the couple. Kai quickly grabbed the blanket and covered his lover with it. Kyo stepped in and closed the door behind him. “We need to have a discussion.”

They sat up and Kai made sure Reita was covered before wrapping a towel around his own waist. Kyo took a seat in front of them and leaned against the door. He took a deep breath.

“Kyo…”Kai started but was silenced when his leader raised a hand.

“Do you know what it means to be bonded?” Kyo asked. “Of course you don’t. When a mated couple who are bond compatible have sex for the first time the bond is created. You have a connection, creating the bond is the next step, after that the bond must be sealed.”

“Sealed?” Kai asked shaking his head. “What are you talking about?”

Kyo held a straight face. “It’s a three part process you nitwit. You form a connection, which you and Reita have already done. To create the bond between you, you must become one which means making love. Then you must seal the bond to make it stronger and unbreakable.”

“How do you make it stronger?” Reita asked.

“During your heat, Reita. The first heat you share together is the most important. It solidifies your trust in each other, the love for each other, and forges a bond so strong that a day won’t pass where can’t feel each other. No matter how far apart from each other you are you can always feel one another. You won’t be able to close each other off or stop the feelings from entering you. You can feel each other’s needs, pleasures, and happiness. That’s what it means to be bonded, but it’s a double edge sword. You also feel the sadness, the pain, and the suffering the other one goes through. You feel helpless unable to stop it. And when one of you dies it feels like your heart is being ripped out of your chest. Are you willing to go through that?”

            Kai gripped Reita’s hand and looked him in the eye. “I don’t care. Reita is my mate. He is mine and I’m his. If he suffers through anything I will suffer with him. I won’t abandon him. I will always be there to protect him and love him and to take care of him. I love him with all my heart.”

Reita’s eyes watered up and Kai swiped his thumb under the blonde’s eye. Kyo sighed but nodded his head. “Not today. There is still much for you to discuss and learn of one another before you make your commitment. Wait just a little longer.” Kyo stood up. “Reita, you still have something to tell him. You never got around to doing it.”

They watched as their pack leader left the room and closed the door. Kai looked at Reita waiting for him to speak. Reita sighed. He pressed his head against Kai’s shoulder and left out a soft whimper.

“Reita…”

“Shinya examined me. My master…he did something to me.”  He sniffled. Kai could feel the warmth of tears hitting his skin. “He took away my ability to have children. He made it to where I couldn’t give you a child.”

Kai wrapped his arms around his lover. “Reita I love you. Nothing will change that. That man is no longer your master. You are not a slave nor a cage fighter anymore. You belong to no one but yourself.”

“Kai…I can’t—”

“It doesn’t matter. Not to me. As long as you’re with me I don’t care. I love you as you are.”

Reita sniffled. “I love you too. I love you so much.”

            It was only two days later before the roads were cleared up from the snow and they were able to head back to their jobs. They cleared the windows and doors before opening up their businesses. Tsuzuku had very little busy those two days at his hair salon. Most the time he and his employees would be sitting and waiting for a customer. Then someone came in and it alerted Tsuzuku’s senses. The smell of a wolf. He turned to see a stranger taking off his jacket and sunglasses. His blonde hair was in need of a touch up and a cut. He smiled right at Tsuzuku as he walked right up to him.

“I’d like my roots touched up.”

Tsuzuku waved for him to follow and led him to a chair in the back. The man sat down in the chair. Tsuzuku stood next to him to raise the chair up. The man smiled as he placed a hand on the omega’s thigh. He hummed.

“You have a nice smell.”

“Who are you?” Tsuzuku asked pulling away from the hand. “Why are you here?”

“I’m just a traveler. I go by Ryoga. What can I call such a wonderful sight that stands before me?”

The omega blushed, grabbing his supplies and sitting them on the table in front of him. “Tsuzuku.”

“Hmm, what a sexy name.” Ryoga hummed. Tsuzuku rolled his eyes as started mixing the bleaching chemicals. The blonde smirked as he reached up and gripped Tsuzuku’s rear-end. “I love the smell of peaches you know.” Tsuzuku gasped and turned to glare at the man. Ryoga gave a big smile and grabbed the omega’s hand. “I hope you don’t mind me staying in the city for a while. I think I’ve taken quite a liking to you.”

“Within five minutes you’ve sexually harassed me three times. What makes you think I even want you _in_ _here_ any longer?”

Ryoga licked his lips. “I’ll convince you.”

“And how do you plan on doing that? Pervert.”

“Not a pervert. I can’t help but to be attracted to such a beautiful sight. You have captured my eyes, I just wanted to show you that.”

“By grabbing my ass?” Tsuzuku asked.

Ryoga shrugged. “You have a really nice ass. And a nice smile.”

“You seemed to be confused of yourself. I don’t think you know if you want to be a pervert or a gentleman.”

“I try to be both.”

At this Tsuzuku let out a soft giggle. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ah, but I made you laugh. So therefore my first mission is complete.” Ryoga said with a smile.

“Mission?”

“To speak with you. I passed by last week and I saw you leaving. I wanted to speak with you then, but I got too nervous. So now I worked myself up to come in here and court you.”

Tsuzuku rolled his eyes, but with a smile. “Let’s get started on your hair.”

            The two days back from opening the clinic back up was chaotic. People filled the waiting room and a line had formed out the door. The room was filled with feverish people with loud coughs and ragged voices. Everyone was ordered to wear gloves and masks the moment the swarm of people had hit. Apparently a terrible flu had spread during the storm and even more so after it. After the first day back and staying two extra hours, Shinya asked help from Hide and Koichi at the clinic. Now they’re working nonstop to help the sick. Hiroto had stepped out at one point to pass out masks to the patients, but there wasn’t enough for all of them. They struggled to keep up with them all, but pushed forward. At the end of the day they stayed three more hours before closing.

            It was night time when they started walking back home. They pushed their legs through the still high snow. Shou groaned as wiped his forehead. Hiroto smirked.

“Hey, is someone get ready for that time?” He joked.

Shou stumbled and stopped as he rubbed his head. “I haven’t felt well all day.”

Reita stopped and turned to him. “Are you alright?”

“I don’t…” Shou mumbled before closing his eyes and falling face down into the snow. They all shouted his name, but Byou knelt next to him and turned him over. He lifted Shou’s body in his arms and before pressing a hand to his forehead.

“He’s burning up.” Byou said grabbing snow. He placed it on Shou’s forehead.

“Let’s get back home now.” Shinya ordered.

            Everyone was at home, but more spread out in the foyer now that the heat was back on. Kyo sat on the statue with Yoshiki discussing his return back home when the group entered the factory door. As they entered, Kyo caught the seriousness of Shinya’s expression before seeing Byou carrying Shou inside.

“Byou, get him into a healing room. Reita, fetch some water and rags. Hiroto follow me.” Shinya ordered.

Hide and Koichi went straight to Kyo as he started walking their way to explain what happened. Kai had followed his mate to the kitchen to grab a bowl of cold water. Kai gripped Reita’s hips from behind.

“I’ll take it. You grab some food and rest.” Kai said.

Reita smiled as he turned. “Thanks but I think can handle one more job. I’m not really feeling up to eating right now anyways. I’ll join you right after. Maybe we can have some alone time upstairs.”

“I’ll meet you up there then.” Kai said placing a kiss on his lover’s forehead. He watched as Reita stepped out of the room.

            The blonde went up the stairs in the foyer to the room at the end where Shou was currently laying. He had been stripped of his clothing, but covered in blankets. Byou had his head lifted and was pouring water from a bottle into his mouth. Reita stepped in and sat next to him. Byou handed him a dry rag before setting Shou’s head down. Reita dipped the rag into the water and wiped Shou’s sweaty forehead. Shou groaned and opened his eyes. Reita continued to help wipe down his sweaty flushed skin. Shou let out a weak cough. Then Hitsugi stepped inside and sat next to the blonde.

“Go. I’ll help them from here.” Hitsugi spoke.

Reita nodded before standing up and leaving the room. He walked out and made his way up to the room on the fourth floor where he found Kai sitting with a plate of fries and a hamburger. He smiled as he sat next to his lover and was handed the plate of food. Reita sat his head on Kai’s shoulder as he began to nibble on the fries. He wasn’t hungry.

            The next morning Kai woke up with a heat in his arms. He felt off for some reason or maybe it was his mate. A knock at the door caught his attention and it opened up to show Uruha smiling.

“Hey it’s time to wake up. Everyone is getting ready to head out.”

Kai nodded and waved him away. He shook his lover and woke him. Reita groaned and curled into a ball. “Come on it’s time for work.”

Reita opened his eyes and slowly sat up only to lean onto his mate’s shoulder. “Want to sleep more.”

“Are you feeling okay? You’re warm.” Kai stated rubbing Reita’s neck.

“Fine. Just tired.” Reita said with a smile.

            They gathered their things and started to change. Kai watched as Reita threw off his shirt and tossed his pants to the side. He smiled as he walked to them. He gripped the omega’s hips and pressed himself against Reita. He grinded against the blonde with a smile. Reita smiled.

“Not now.” Reita turned and kissed Kai’s lips. “We have to get ready.”

After they got clothes on they ran down to meet the others at the doorway and started off to their jobs.

            The clinic was once again full of patients all with the same symptoms as the days before. Koichi sat with Reita at the desk in Shou’s place as they went through the files. It was a constant flow of people throughout the morning and noon. As another patient left with a prescription Reita dropped his head into his hands. Koichi looked over to see the blonde breathing hard. He placed a hand on Reita’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t feel good.” He gasped out.

“Hang on a second.” Koichi said and got up. He ran to the back and grabbed Hide from his patient. “Reita’s not feeling well.”

They walked back in found the blonde with his head down on the table. Patients were looking at each other as they approached. Hide placed a hand on Reita’s back.

“Come on stand up.”

Reita forced himself to his feet, but stumbled into Hide who held onto him and guided him to the break room. They sat him in a chair.

“Go back to the desk and call Kai to come pick him up. I’ll stay with him until then.” Hide ordered. Koichi nodded and moved to leave. Reita closed his eyes hearing the ordered and he felt his body go forward as his world turned dark. They heard him collapse forward onto the floor and turned. Hide quickly grabbed him and turned him on his back. He slapped Reita’s cheek trying to wake him once more, but to no avail. Reita was burning with a fever.


	14. Sick

_Reita opened his eyes as he felt his body on fire. He sat up to find himself on the hillside inside his soul. However all around him were burning trees. He stood up and found the oak tree behind him ablaze. A familiar laugh sounded behind him. He turned to find Dogma standing there on fire yet he held a sickening smile._

_“Get away from me! You won’t hurt me anymore!” Reita yelled._

_“Is that so?” He said pointing. Reita chanced a turn to find his inner wolf on fire. Reita screamed and fell next to it. He started batting the flames with his bare hands, but found his hands catching on fire. He screamed as it spread all over his arms. He fell to the ground as the flames consumed his body and as Dogma’s laugh echoed through his ears._

            Reita gasped as his eyes opened wide. He looked around to see Kai looking down at him. His voice was muffled, but he felt the alpha’s soothing pressure around him. He took steady breathes as the world around him went black

            Kai wiped Reita’s sweaty, flushed face. He turned and saw the alphas tending to the other ill omegas. Kai had been terrified when he brought Reita home and he hadn’t left the blonde’s side since. That same night, however, Uruha, IV, Koichi, Teru, Miyavi, and Saga all fell ill. Everyone wore masks as they tended to the sick. Kai looked down to find his lover suffering through yet another nightmare. Glass shattering caught their attention. Everyone looked in time to see Tsuzuku falling to the floor. Another omega has fallen ill.

            Aoi moved to take care of Tsuzuku, but Kaoru pushed him back.

“Do not go near any of the ill omegas.” He ordered and walked over to help place Tsuzuku on a futon with the others. Aoi watched from afar as they took care of the sick. He looked up and watched as Kaoru took care of the fallen omega. He watched as the alpha stripped Tsuzuku’s wet clothes and threw them to the side. Yoshiki knelt beside him and started wiping him with a wet cloth. Kaoru stood and walked from him back to Aoi’s side. He rubbed the raven’s arm.

“Everything will be fine. Just don’t touch anyone.” Kaoru ordered. Aoi gripped his arm and placed his head on the alpha’s shoulder. Kaoru patted the younger’s head looking over at the unconscious omegas drenched in sweat.

Reita’s eyes opened once more as he coughed weakly. Kai was quick to lift his lover in his arms. He swiped the blonde hair out of his face as Reita coughed more. The alpha grabbed a nearby water bottle and uncapped it before putting it to Reita’s lips. The cool liquid hit his lips, but he coughed it out splattering it on Kai’s face.

“S-sorry.” Reita whimpered.

“Shh.” Kai hushed him. He placed the bottle on the blonde’s lips and this time he was able to sip the water. “Just rest. I won’t leave you.”

Reita let out a raspy thank you before his lover laid him back down to return to his restless sleep. Reita gripped Kai’s hand. “Don’t…let him…take m-me.”

“Nobody will take you.” Kai whispered. He watched as his lover closed his eyes once more.

            At the clinic, Shinya stepped out of a room and stripped his gloves off. He tossed them aside before walking down to the front. There was a lot less people than the previous days. Mia and Kamijo volunteered to help at the clinic in replace of Shou and Reita. It was helpful to have them there. Shinya grabbed the next file and looked it over. He glanced into the waiting room to find about fifteen people left for the day. He sighed and leaned against the wall. He was so tired. A hand grabbed his shoulder and he looked to find Byou looking at him worriedly. Shinya waved him away before calling the next patient.

            At home the factory doors opened as those who went to work came in, but they moved to head upstairs. Kyo ordered all who weren’t sick to sleep in the private rooms away from the ill. The leader however remand in the foyer to help take care of the sick. Nao walked in with Melody and Takeru. He watched as Melody ran to her mate’s side. Miyavi was barely conscious when she started rubbing his face. Nao’s eyes moved over to Tora who was rubbing a wet cloth on Saga’s feverish face. Nao stopped walking when his eyes landed upon Reita’s body. He bit his lip at Kai’s sad expression. He kissed his teeth and headed upstairs to his room to hide his frustrations from them.

            Ruki rushed into the foyer, not even grabbing a mask before sitting by Uruha’s body. His own body ached all day and he knew it was because Uruha was in pain. He petted his mate’s face. “My love. I’m back, I’m back.”

Uruha opened his glassy eyes with a soft smile. “Ruki…”

“Are you feeling any better?” At the question, Uruha shook his head before closing his eyes. Ruki gripped his lover’s clothes and dropped his head. “You’ll get better…you have to…you have to…”

            Kyo was helping wipe down Shou when he felt off. He couldn’t quite place it as he washed the sweat off Shou’s arms. Shou let out a few weak coughs. He placed the omega under the blankets once more, but before he could stand the foyer door opened.

“Kyo!” Byou shouted. He ran in and on his back he held Shinya’s fevered body.

“No.” Kyo gasped. He rushed over and met them halfway. Yoshiki and Kaoru worked quickly to put out another futon so they could lay Shinya down, but Kyo stopped them. “He’s lying in our room.”

Byou nodded before following his leader to the door at the end of the room. He walked in to see the large room with the bed in the middle and a couch that sat in front of it. Byou walked to the bed and Kyo helped pull his lover off his back. Kyo waved for the other alpha to leave the room and he did so. Kyo let out a small whimper. He carefully pulled off Shinya’s scrubs and threw them to the side before taking his underwear off as well.

“Why Shinya? Why you?” He sniffled. He heard a knock and the door opened. Kaoru stepped inside holding a tray. On it was ice water in a bowl with a rag and two bottles of water. He walked in and sat the tray on the nightstand. He placed a hand on his leader’s shoulder.

“Why is Shinya sick?” Kyo whispered. “Only the omegas were ill, so why is he sick?”

“Maybe this flu or virus or whatever this is, is going to hit all of us.” Kaoru sighed. “Everyone will be fine.”

“Reita has gotten worse.”

“Reita has a weak body.” Kaoru said. “We all know this.”

“Shou is getting worse. Soon they’ll all be worse.” Kyo let his tears fall. “Shinya…”

“Is strong. They’re all strong.” Kaoru said. “We’ll figure it out. Tend to your mate.”

With that the alpha left the room. Kyo gripped Shinya’s sweaty hand and pressed it against his head. “Please get better.”

            Within the next day, all the omegas and betas, except Meto, had fallen to the sickness. The first ones began coughing nonstop and losing their sleep for it. Kyo remained with his lover. Not leaving to eat or sleep. He continued to wipe Shinya’s flushed brow and sweaty skin. It wasn’t long before he began coughing as well.

            Kai held Reita in his arms as he continued to gasp between coughs. He’d wipe the blonde’s forehead as his body shook. Reita opened his eyes and whimpered before he began puking. Kai quickly turned him to the side so he wouldn’t choke on his own vomit. After Reita was finished, Kai cleaned him up as Ruki walked over to clean the mess up. It wasn’t long after before others were puking as well.

            Ruki laid Uruha’s head on his lap as he played with the damp hair. He hummed softly to his mate to try and relax him. The honey blonde shook, but took some comfort in hearing Ruki’s voice around him. He opened his eyes as his stomach churned again. He groaned and turned over in time to puke. Ruki felt so useless. He could feel the pain his lover suffering and he could do nothing to stop it.

            Across town a familiar blonde walked up to the hair salon. Ryoga opened the door to find the peach smell missing. A worker walked up with a smile.

“Where is Tsuzuku?” Ryoga asked.

“Oh,” The young blue haired woman said. “He’s sick. He’s been sick.”

“For how long?” He asked.

“A couple days now. It was pretty sudden. A friend of his stopped by and said he collapsed and he has bad fever. Probably that nasty virus going around.”

Ryoga nodded his head before walking back out. He rubbed his chin and walked away from the salon. ‘Sick?’ He thought. He hummed before walking down the road. “I wonder is its ‘that’?”

            _Reita woke with his body chained against the oak tree. His mouth was gagged with a cloth. In front of him was Kai laying on the ground. His body was bloody and bruised. Dogma laughed as he walked in front of them. He reached down and picked him up by his hair. Kai groaned as his limp body was lifted into the air. His left eye opened and stared right at Reita. He opened his mouth to speak, but a blade went through his neck._

            Reita screamed as his body lifted into the air. He cried out and flinched when someone grabbed him. Kai’s face came into his view and the blonde broke down. He fell into Kai’s embrace and cried. The brunette held him tightly as he cried out. The others around them were startled by the outcry and ran down from the upper floors. Kyo had ran out in full panic not knowing what he expected to find. They were relieved to find the omega only had another nightmare. They were soon returning back to their rooms and leaving them alone. Reita gasped as he closed his eyes.

“Kai…my master is…trying… to kill me…” Reita whimpered.

“You don’t have a master anymore, Reita. And no one is going to kill you.” Kai said.

“He’s after…you. He’ll kill…you…me…” Reita gasped and looked up. Standing behind his mate was Dogma smiling down at them. “He’s here! He’s…here he’s going to kill he’ll…we’ll die…”

“You’re delirious, Reita. You have a bad fever. You need stay calm, he’s not here. He’s not here. It’s just you, me, and the pack.” Kai tried comforting him, but he continued to cry.

            _Uruha looked around him as he laid in a pile of mud. He was surrounded by forest. A pain shot through his body. He looked down to see his stomach bulged out. He screamed out in pain as something was coming out of him. He looked down to see a familiar face with long black hair on his head._

_“No…” He cried out. “Get away from me!”_

_The man smiled. “I’ll be taking this one, too.”_

_“No!” Uruha screamed as he pushed and a baby’s cry could be heard. He watched as the man hold the baby up by the neck. He smiled as he stood._

            Uruha screamed out wrapping his arms around his stomach. Ruki grabbed Uruha and called out his name. He pulled the honey blonde into a strong embrace.

“Uruha, wake up! Uruha!” He cried. He shook the omega’s body. “Uruha, please wake up. Wake up!”

Uruha gasped as his eyes popped open. He kept crying as he gripped at Ruki’s shirt. “ _Ruki…Ruki don’t let him take it…don’t let him take my baby…”_

“Uruha, what are you going on about? What baby?” Ruki asked. He looked down to see Uruha’s other hand covering his stomach. “Uruha…”

“ _Ruki, he wants to take my baby. Just like he took Shinya’s.”_

Ruki pulled his lover tighter in his arms and whispered. “Nobody will hurt you or take your child.”

            Ryoga waited until nighttime before sneaking around the city to gather a few herbs growing through the parks. He walked up to the factory and looked around. He stepped quietly to the doors and sat a bag down in front of it. He placed a piece of paper on top of it with a rock to hold it down. He sighed as he stood. He took up both fists and started hammering at the door for a few seconds before taking off in a sprint. When he reached the gates he changed into a grey wolf and ran off.

            _Aoi was sitting on his bed looking down at the chain that connected his leg to the bedpost. He sat there completely naked waiting in silence on the silk sheets. He looked at the shackles on his bruised wrists. The door opened up to a man with black hair walking in. He shut the door behind and threw off his shirt. As he walked closer he unbuckled his pants and tossed them aside as he climbed onto the bed. Aoi remained still until the man slapped him across his face. He grabbed Aoi’s hair and yanked at it._

_“I got you to myself for the whole night.”_

Aoi was startled by the banging of the door nearby. He seemed to be the only one who was awoken by it. The other omegas were coughing, but didn’t seem aware of the noise. He forced his aching body up and looked around. The alphas nearby all seemed passed out from exhaustion. He looked at the hallway and swallowed before walking towards it. As he entered the threshold a hand grabbed his shoulder making him jump. He turned to see Kaoru looking at him.

“You should be lying down. Your fever will get worse.”

 The alpha walked ahead of him. They made it to the door where Kaoru listened closely before taking a sniff. He opened it carefully to find no one there. A bag sat in front of them though. Kaoru picked up the paper and opened it up.

“They have the Omega Sickness. Crush and add a tablespoon to a cup full of hot water. One cup every three hours.”

Kaoru opened the bag to find a bundle of dry green stems. Aoi nudged at him and pointed at the green herbs asking what they were. Kaoru moved to head back in so they shut and locked the door behind them. They headed inside to find Byou, Yoshiki and Kyo standing at the opening of the hallway. Kaoru handed the paper over for them to read. He looked at Aoi with a glare.

“Go lay back down.” Kaoru ordered and Aoi nodded. He walked back to his spot on his futon and settled down.

“Omega Sickness?” Kyo asked. “What is that?”

“Basically,” Byou started, “it’s an illness that mainly affects omegas and sometimes betas. And it can be deadly.”

“If you knew about this why didn’t you tell us?” Kyo growled.

“Because I never thought they would have it. Omega sickness is rare, but can be brought on by a normal person. A normal person can have Omega sickness, but because of the genetic differences it only presents itself as the flu and is cured the same way. However, if a person with our genetics catches it, it reacts like the flu at first, but then it becomes worse. We probably caught at the clinic.”

“How do we know if they have it?” Kaoru asked. “How did whoever sent us this know about it?”

“Delirium.” Byou said. “One of the symptoms is delirium. Others are coughing, fever, vomiting, which are flu like symptoms. But these past few hours they began showing different symptoms which match Omega sickness. They’re sweating even though their fevers are rising, again the delirium, and they have nightmares. This,” he said grabbing the herbs, “is Greenflush. It’s a pesky weed that grows around trees, but it can cure the Omega Sickness.”

Yoshiki looked at the omegas. Many were squirming and crying in their sleep. “We can try it out and if it works great. If not, we’ll continue to treat them for the flu.”

“If it’s not Omega Sickness, will the Greenflush hurt them?” Kyo asked.

“No. It will be a useless herb then.” Byou said.

Kyo nodded. “We give it to them first thing in the morning.”

            A heartbreaking scream echoed through the foyer. Kyo was startled and quickly ran to his room where his mate was lying. Shinya was screaming as he curled into a ball, flinging an arm in the air and the other protecting his stomach. Kyo sat on the bed and grabbed Shinya’s face. His mate’s face was covered in snot and tears. Shinya cried out to Kyo.

“ _Don’t let him take her!”_ He begged. _“Don’t let him take Aya!”_

Kyo felt a pain in his chest. Hearing his child’s name fall from his lover’s lip. He gripped Shinya’s hand. “Please don’t do this to me. Please, please don’t do this...”

_“Kyo…don’t die…please don’t die Kyo…please…”_

“I’m not dead.” Kyo whimpered. “I’m here, Shinya! I’m here.”

Shinya’s eyes slowly opened and he sniffled. He seemed to have snapped from his dream state. He sniffled as he grabbed his lover’s hand back. “K-Kyo…”

Kyo pulled Shinya into a hug and held him there to let him cry.

            The next morning Kaoru pulled out the Greenflush from the bag and spread them out on a counter in the kitchen. He pulled them all out to find a pink peach flower at the bottom with a note attached. Kaoru raised an eyebrow at it, but he sat it to the side for later. He grabbed a mortar and pestle to start crushing the Greenflush. Byou was in there with him heating up water as Tora pulled down glasses to fill up with water. After crushing the herbs, they placed some in the glasses and poured water in them. Tora took the first set out on a tray and passed them around the room starting with Reita. Yoshiki grabbed one off and took it to Shinya for him to drink. Kai sat his lover up in his arms.

“Hey Reita, wake up. You have to take some medicine.” Kai whimpered and shook the blonde a little. Kai closed his eyes and pushed his pressure into the omega’s body. Reita groaned as he opened his eyes. Kai placed the glass to his lips. “Drink it all.”

Reita listened to the order and slowly drank the warm water. It tasted like a mixture of mint and rosemary. He finished the glass before being laid back down to rest. Ruki did the same for his mate as the alphas treated the omegas slowly. Every three hours they were forced to awaken and drink the herbal water.

            With every passing hour Kai watched his mate squirm and whimper. Ruki held his Uruha close against his own body. Tora alternated rubbing Nao’s and Saga’s heads. Kyo placed constant kisses on Shinya’s neck as he laid behind him. Melody sung softly to Miyavi to calm him down. Byou sat between Shou and Takeru to keep them company as best as he could. Toshiya alternated around between Hitsugi, Hiroto, and IV to calm them down when their nightmares overtook them. Meto braided at Mia’s and Tsuzuku’s hair. Kamijo held his Teru in his lap, refusing to let him go. Yoshiki walked around to help where he could whenever he wasn’t tending his mate, Hide.

Kaoru looked down at Aoi as he shook under the blankets. Sweat dripped down his scowling face. The alpha moved the hair off his forehead and wiped the sweat off his face. Aoi grunted from the motion.

“K…Kaoru…” He whispered softly.

 Kaoru felt a strange yet familiar warmth fill his chest. He carefully leant down and pressed his lips on Aoi’s forehead. The raven haired man relaxed under him. Kaoru sat up and rubbed his own chest.

“It’s been so long.” He spoke to himself. “Since I’ve had this feeling.”


	15. Lone Wolf

            The first thing Reita noticed was that he was on a grassy hill. He sat up and saw the oak tree. The forest around him waved in the wind. He stood and walked to the tree where his inner white wolf sat. He sat in front of it, knowing if he walked any closer he would be chained down. He looked at the wolf and yellow eyes stared back at him. The white wolf lifted its head and licked its nose. Reita reached his hand out to it. He waited for a chain, but none came up so he moved closer and closer. His hand rubbed the wolf’s snout and Reita gasped with a smile. The wolf pulled away and laid back down.

            Reita opened his eyes to see the ceiling of the foyer. He felt so tired, but slowly sat up. Kai was sleeping next him holding his hand. The blonde looked around to find other omegas sleeping around him. Byou was walking up to him with a smile. He knelt next to him and placed his hand on Reita’s head.

“You still have a fever. It’s gone down, but you still need to rest or you won’t get your strength back.” Byou said. Reita nodded and laid back down. On instinct, Kai moved closer to him and wrapped his arm around his body. Reita looked at his mate’s sleeping face

“He hasn’t slept since the day you passed out.” Byou whispered. “The moment your fever started going down he relaxed and finally fell asleep.”

“How long was I out for?” He whispered tiredly.

“A couple of days. You and the others fell to a sickness, but we got you all better.”

Reita looked over at the omegas sleeping around them and took note of the alphas walking around tending to each of them. The blonde turned and curled up against Kai’s sleeping form.

            Kyo sat on the edge of his bed holding a bowl of chicken soup. He scooped a spoonful of broth and placed it Shinya’s lips. The blonde sipped it up and smiled to his lover.

“How is everyone doing?” Shinya asked.

“Don’t worry they’re fine.” Kyo said offering another spoonful.

“They’re not getting dehydrated or anything? Have their fevers broke?” Shinya started his worrisome questions, but was silenced when Kyo shoved the spoon in his mouth.

The leader smiled. “Everyone is being taken care of. You just need to worry about getting your strength back.”

“I’m just worried, is all.” Shinya mumbled. “How’s Reita?”

Kyo sighed, but gave in. “He’s recovering just fine.”

“Nothing strange has happened right?”

“Why are you so worried about him, Shinya?”

The beta closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “I’m concerned because the last time we took his blood we found something weird. We didn’t catch it the first time, but there is something in his blood that we can’t identify. I have a bad feeling. Kyo he’s spent years on heat suppressants and pheromone hiders. The only negative effect he’s shown was a delayed heat cycle. I’m scared that at any moment something could happen to him. We haven’t seen all the negative effects the drugs have had on his body yet.”

“You’re thinking too much about it. He’ll be fine. Whatever you found is probably a corruption in the sample you took. We should really be putting our focus on Aoi.”

Shinya gave him a funny look. “That timid wolf?”

“I have a bad feeling about him.” Kyo said offering another spoonful of soup. Shinya accepted it with a raised eyebrow. “He’s hanging off Kaoru’s arm like a lost pup and refuses to speak with anyone. He won’t even let you or Byou examine him.”

“I think it’s cute. Him and Kaoru. Be honest, when’s the last time Kaoru actually showed an ounce of emotion?” Shinya watched as Kyo thought for a minute before continuing. “Aoi is good for him. Isn’t it about time he started looking for another mate.”

“Shinya…”

“It’s been eight years Kyo.” The beta sighed. “We’re the only ones who stayed with him after that incident. We’re the only real support he has. Shouldn’t we give him a little push with Aoi? It’s obvious they’re attracted to each other.”

Kyo sat the bowl on the nightstand before crawling on the bed with his lover. Shinya moved down to cuddle up next to his mate. Kyo wrapped his arm around Shinya’s shoulder and kissed his forehead. “Fine, I won’t bother them. They’ll have to figure it out on their own though.”

Shinya nodded and rubbed his head against Kyo’s chest. He couldn’t remember the last they laid together like this. He smiled and closed his eyes. Kyo’s eyes widen a bit when he felt Shinya’s happiness flow though his chest. He smiled to himself and tightened his hold.

            When Tsuzuku opened his eyes the first thing he wanted to do was go back to sleep, but found Toshiya sitting next to him spinning a pink, peach flower in his fingers. Tsuzuku sat up rubbing his eyes as he yawned catching the alpha’s attention. Toshiya handed the flower over to him and Tsuzuku blushed as he accepted it. The alpha held up a paper with the omega’s name written on it.

“Kaoru said they were with the Greenflush, the medicine that helped cure you all. Now you wouldn’t happen to know who sent them would you.”

Tsuzuku snatched the paper and opened it up to read:

_‘I hope you feel well soon. I look forward to seeing you again._

_-The perverted gentleman’_

The omega let out a small giggle and folded up the paper. He looked over at Toshiya with a soft smile. “I have no idea who he is, but I intend to find out.”

“Uh huh,” Toshiya hummed. “Don’t hide this from Kyo. He’ll get pissed if some strange wolf takes advantage of you.”

“What if I want him to take advantage of me?” Tsuzuku whispered.

Toshiya shook his head as he stood up. “Kyo will be pissed off if he finds a random stray praying on his omegas. Be careful.”

Tsuzuku watched as the alpha walked away before looking back at the note with a smile.

            Kaoru lifted Aoi’s head and brought up a bottle of water to his lips. The raven sipped on the water before turning his head away. Kaoru sat the bottle to the side before wiping a cool rag on the omega’s forehead. Aoi reached up and clenched Kaoru’s shirt and gave a small smile. Kaoru sat the omega down before moving the blanket up, but Aoi tugged at his shirt. The alpha looked down at Aoi’s glazed eyes. He moved down slowly and the raven’s face grew red. Kaoru hesitated as he got closer, but Aoi raised up. The alpha grazed his lips against Aoi’s lips. The raven gasped and turned away.

“Sorry.” He whispered, but Kaoru just nodded and petted his head. Tears spilled out of Aoi’s eyes. Kaoru wiped the tears away with his finger before wrapping Aoi up in the blanket.

            Uruha hummed as he concentrated on his mate’s hand on his head. Ruki was rubbing through the honey blonde’s hair. Uruha turned and smiled up at his mate. The brunette looked down at Uruha laying on his lap. The honey blonde smiled as he brought Ruki’s hand down to his stomach. Ruki gave him a strange look, but Uruha just smiled as he rubbed the hand back and forth.

Ruki gasped. “H-how do you know?”

Uruha smiled. “Instincts, but let’s keep it quiet for now.”

Ruki smiled and leaned down to kiss his mate.

            Two days later, Tsuzuku smiled happily as he stood in front of the mirror getting ready for the day. He smiled after applying some lipstick and straightening his fishnet shirt before slipping on a black tank top over it. He stepped out of the bathroom and walked down the hallway to see his pack getting ready to head out. He glanced over to find Reita sitting in his futon with Kai next to him. Shinya was on his other side checking his temperature. Tsuzuku walked over to Shou who was talking to Hitsugi.

“What’s going on with Reita?” He asked.

“His fever spiked back up last night. Shinya’s making sure if it’s still the Omega sickness or something else.” Shou said.

“Shouldn’t he have gotten better by now?” Hitsugi asked.

“Yeah.” Shou sighed. “Shinya thinks he might have caught a normal flu as well. That or…”

“Or what?” Tsuzuku asked.

“Or he might just be having some long term effects from his forced injections. From back when he was cage fighting.”

They watched from afar as Kai nodded his head and Reita look down. Kai helped his mate up to his feet before helping him walk towards the hallway. Shinya walked towards them and waved his hand to Kyo who nodded.

“Let’s head out.” He announced.

            Tsuzuku parted from his pack and headed up the street to his salon. He stepped inside and was greeted happily by his co-workers. He quickly hugged them before setting up his station. As he did, his blue haired co-worker walked up to him.

“So…” She said.

“So, what?”

“Are you dressed up because of a certain client?” She asked with a pervy smile. “You know the one who likes to touch you.”

Tsuzuku smiled shy. “Shut up.”

“Ahh you are! So is he going to come in today?”

“I don’t know. I hope so.” He sung happily.

            Nao groaned as Tora and Saga talked with Yoshiki. He was ignored once more. He quietly slipped away and headed upstairs to the fourth floor. He carefully tip toed down the hallway to the cracked door. He peeked inside to see Kai wiping at Reita’s forehead. He watched as Kai moved down and kissed Reita on the lips. Nao turned with tears in his eyes. He clenched his teeth walking down the stairs. As he made his way out of the hallway he saw Saga looking around. As he stepped out arms grabbed his shoulders and forced him to turn around. He staring at an angry Tora.

“Where the hell did you go? I told you for you to be out here you have to stay with me!”

“I just went to the bathroom.” Nao whimpered.

Tora shook his head and pulled his friend into a hug. “Okay. Okay I believe you. Just tell me next time.”

Nao nodded in his grip.

            Tsuzuku pulled the cover off his client and turned her to look in the mirror. She smiled brightly at her platinum blonde hair streaked with greens and blues. She stood up and hugged her hairstylist before paying at the register. He watched as she stepped out and waved goodbye. He looked at the clock to see the time to close coming soon. He sighed looking at his station. His co-workers looked sadly at each other. Tsuzuku started cleaning up the bell to the door rung as another customer walked in. A familiar smell hit his nose. He smiled and turned to find Ryoga stepping inside. The blonde gave a smug smile as he walked in towards the hairstylist.

“I’m glad to see you back on your feet.”

“Thank you. And thanks for the medicine. How did you know?” Tsuzuku asked.

Ryoga smiled. “Lucky guess. How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, Thanks. Your note made me laugh.”

“Good.” Ryoga said with a smile. They stood in silence for a few seconds. Ryoga cleared his throat. “Um…okay I’ll just go ahead and ask. Would you like to go out with me tonight?”

“You mean on a date?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know. I still have to close up and…” Tsuzuku looked past the blonde’s shoulder and at his co-workers. They were nodding their heads and waving their hands telling him to go. He smiled. “Okay. Let me make a quick phone call and get my things.”

Ryoga nodded and watched as Tsuzuku walked to the break room. He stepped in and grabbed the phone off the wall. He dialed a familiar number a waited as the phone rang.

“Toshiya speaking.”

“Hey Toshiya, its Tsuzuku. Listen, I’m going to hang out with my co-workers tonight.”

“Uh huh. This has nothing to do with that note you got does it?”

“I’ll be fine Toshiya. Let Kyo know I’ll be late.”

            Ryoga tapped his hands together as he waited outside for a good ten minutes before Tsuzuku finally walked out. Ryoga smiled earning a smile in return. They started walking down the sidewalk. Ryoga led the way downtown and towards a restaurant. Tsuzuku looked over at some of the buildings. He swallowed hard as he realized how close to the border of the packs. Ryoga turned away from the border and headed down another street. They stood in front of a nice cozy restaurant. Ryoga smiled.

“Will this be good for you?”

“As long as you’re paying.” Tsuzuku giggled.

“Of course.” Ryoga replied opening the door up. They stepped in and was given a smile by the hostess

“Ryoga, I didn’t know you were coming in.” She said happily.

“Spur of the moment. Is my favorite seat available?”

“Just opened up. Follow me.” She said. They followed her to the back of the store to a booth by the window. Tsuzuku looked at the flower in the thin vase and a candle that was lit up. She waited for them to sit before placing their menus down. “Your waiter will be right with you.”

Tsuzuku waited until she left. “You come here a lot?”

“Everyday.” Ryoga said with a smile. “I’m a chef here. Today is just my day off.”

“Oh wow. When are you going to cook me something yummy?”

“If you come to my place some time, I just might.”

Tsuzuku hummed as he looked over the menu. “Ryoga, seriously though, how did you know that we were all sick?”

Ryoga scratched the back of his head, “The last city I was in had a major outbreak of the Omega Sickness. I noticed less omegas were coming out of the factory and then I was told you were sick. I just guessed. It couldn’t have hurt to try the Greenflush.”

Tsuzuku smiled. “Thank you. Even though you just outed yourself as a stalker.”

Ryoga blushed as his date laughed at him.

It wasn’t long before they’re waiter came by and took their orders. Ryoga took a sip of his drink as Tsuzuku leaned on the table.

“So what brought you out to Ravenstone?”

Ryoga shrugged. “I’m a traveler. I jump from town to town. City to city. Every few months I move to a new place. I just happened to stumble here.”

“Just like you just happened to see me leaving work one day.”

“Yes.” Ryoga smiled. “I have no place to call home. I’ve never been accepted anywhere I’ve gone. I play around a bit and run off afterwards.”

“A lone wolf.” Tsuzuku smiled. “Does this mean I’m just a fling for you? One night stand type of thing?”

Ryoga bit his lip. “If you don’t want to that’s fine. I want to make it clear that I don’t want any commitments, just a good time with a good-looking guy. I’m only going to be here a few more weeks before I hightail it out of here. Why don’t we have more than one meet up until then?”

“I don’t mind.” Tsuzuku said. “Just some friendly fucking right? I’m down with that.”

“My place after dinner then?” Ryoga asked.

“Yeah.”

            Nao scowled looking at the floor. He looked over at Tora who was playing a card game with a few others. Melody had closed the store early so Takeru and Uruha were back home. Uruha was off sleeping somewhere while Takeru played with Tora, Saga, and Teru. He sighed before walking over to them. He poked the alpha on the shoulder. Tora turned and looked up at him.

“I’m hungry. I want to make something to eat.” Nao mumbled.

Tora nodded and stood up. “Alright, let’s go.”

Nao bit his lip as he followed the alpha down the hallways towards the kitchen. Tora leaned by the counter as he watched Nao pull out some bread and peanut butter. He kept glancing at the alpha as he slowly spread the peanut butter on the bread. Tora sighed as he took the bread from Nao’s hand and tossed it.

“You were tearing it up. Try not digging the knife into the bread.” He said taking over from Nao. The omega stepped back and watched as Tora started working on the sandwich. Nao glanced over at the pans hanging over the stove. He quietly grabbed the iron skillet and lifted it off its hook. He grabbed it with both hands and swung it. There was a loud crack as it struck the side of Tora’s head. The alpha fell to the floor. Nao watched as blood started to spread around the unconscious wolf’s head. He sat the pan down before grabbing a large knife. He turned and started walking out when Takeru walked in.

The omega was smiling until he saw Tora’s body on the floor with blood all over. He gasped and looked at Nao before turning to run. Nao gave a short chase before grabbing Takeru’s arm. Before he could shout, Nao stabbed the knife into his throat. Blood spewed from Takeru’s mouth as Nao pulled the blade out. The young omega stumbled back before falling motionless to the floor.

            Nao hid the blade in his pants and tucked his blood covered hand into his pocket before walking out. He was quiet climbing the stairs in the hallway. He snuck up to the fourth floor and tiptoed down the hall. He pulled the knife out before pushing the door open. Inside Kai looked up from his sleeping mate.

He growled standing up. “What are you doing up here?”

Nao shrugged stepping in. Kai stood and walked towards him, but stopped as Nao revealed the knife.

            The new smell roused Reita from his slumber. He slowly sat up and rubbed his head looking at the scene in front of him. He watched as Nao stepped closer.

“Kai?” He whimpered. The brunette turned to him.

“It’s going to be okay.” Kai said. Nao’s eyes widen and lift the knife in the air.

“Kai look out!” Reita screamed. Before the alpha could turn all the way around Nao had struck him with the handle of the knife. Kai grunted as he fell into the wall hitting his head on it. They waited for him to move, but he remained motionless. Reita stood on his shaking feet as Nao moved in closer. Reita glanced at Kai’s motionless body then back to Nao as he moved in closer. Reita stepped back. Nao charged in swinging the blade, but the blonde was able to jump back. He dodged the knife as best as he could.

He glanced over at the glass doors then he turned back as Nao swung again. He moved back, but his neck was grazed by the knife. He gripped the cut on his neck and ran to the doors to open them up. He turned raising his hands to fight back. He glanced down at the flower pot on the balcony. He slowly stepped backwards, outside to the balcony. Nao shouted as he charged forward and Reita quickly reached down to grab the pot. Before he could lift it up, Nao slashed his arm and Reita slid to the side then back. His back was pressed against the balcony ledge. Nao smiled and swung the blade at the blonde’s neck.

Reita leaned back to dodge and his foot slipped on the snow on the balcony floor. Nao grabbed Reita’s shirt and pushed him further. The blonde felt his body tip back. He gasped and reached out as began to fall. He squeezed his eyes shut, but his palm touched a metal bar and it was enough for him to grip it. His body flipped and his chest slammed into the side of the balcony. His eyes opened from the impact and his hand slipped, but both his hands grabbed onto the concrete flooring. He gasped for air as he stared up at Nao. The omega pressed his boot onto Reita’s hand and grinded it into the concrete. Reita cried out as one of his hands was pushed off the balcony. Reita looked below at the snowy ground then up at Nao.

Kai groaned as he pulled his body up and gripped his stinging head. He blinked trying to even out his vision. He heard his mate shouting. Kai gasped looking around the room. He spotted Nao out on the balcony and saw him bend down. He could hear Reita cry out in pain. Kai growled as he jumped to his feet. He charged in and gripped Nao’s shirt to pull him back. Nao landed with a hard thud. He looked down and dropped to his knees when he saw Reita hanging on with one hand. Reita had been digging his nails into the concrete and his whole hand was bloody from knife cuts. Kai quickly gripped the blonde’s wrist and started pulling him up. Reita looked up with relief, but gasped when he saw Nao standing above his mate.

“Kai behind you!” He screamed.

Before he could react, Nao stabbed the blade into Kai’s back. The brunette cried out losing his grip for a split second. Kai shot his arm out between the metal bars to grab Reita’s wrist again. The omega cried out falling a few inches, but was jerked when his mate grabbed him once more. Kai held onto the metal bar to help pull Reita up. Kai cried out once more when Nao pulled the knife out.

Reita started to cry. “Let go, Kai! He’ll kill you!”

“I won’t let you go.” Kai grunted. Reita watched as Nao lifted the knife back into the air.

            Ryoga unlocked the door to his small apartment and let Tsuzuku in. They slipped off their shoes and walked into the living room. The blonde turned towards the kitchen to grab them a beer. As he walked out he saw Tsuzuku slowly moving his body dropping his tank top to the floor. Ryoga smiled as he made his way to the couch and sat the beers to the side. He watched as the omega danced and slowly pull his fishnet shirt off. Tsuzuku slowly walked up and climbed over Ryoga’s lap. The blonde gripped Tsuzuku’s hips as they rolled in his lap. He leaned in and sucked on one of Tsuzuku’s pierced nipples. The brunette smiled throwing his head back as Ryoga grinded his hips against him. Ryoga pulled off and the brunette moved down to capture his lips.

“Mm, let’s move…” Ryoga moaned between kisses.

“You have…condoms right?” Tsuzuku asked shoving his tongue in Ryoga’s mouth. The blonde bit on his lip and tugged at it before pulling away.

“I have condoms, and lube, and more condoms.”

“Mmm, I think’s it time we go to the bedroom then.” Tsuzuku said. Ryoga smiled as he stood, holding onto the brunette’s rear as he did so. Tsuzuku smiled, wrapping his legs around Ryoga’s waist. The brunette pressed kisses on the alpha as he was carried into the bedroom and thrown onto the bed. Ryoga crawled over him kissed his chest on the way up. The blonde licked up Tsuzuku’s neck and bit down on it. The brunette gasped closing his eyes. Ryoga pushed some of his pressure onto Tsuzuku’s body, making him gasp out.

“More…”Tsuzuku gasped.

Ryoga moved up and rubbed Tsuzuku’s cheek. “I’ll give you as much as you want.” He said pressing his lips on the omega’s swollen ones.

            Toshiya yawned as he locked up the shop. He turned to see Miyavi looking down at his locket necklace. He cleared his throat catching Miyavi’s attention. The omega closed the locket of his daughters’ photos. He smiled and they started walking towards home. Toshiya let out a heavy breath.

“Why don’t you and Melody take a week and go see them?” Toshiya said. “It’s been months since you last spoke with them.”

Miyavi sniffled holding back his tears. “If we go see them we probably wouldn’t come back.”

“Maybe that’s for the best.”

“What?” Miyavi said stopping in his tracks.

Toshiya sighed and turned to face him. “You two have family. A pack that will take you in again. Not all of us have that option. You two should take it and be with your children. You’ll be safe. Your kids will be safe. You’ll have a pack to protect you.”

“We can’t just leave you guys.” Miyavi gasped.

“It’s a tough decision for you and Melody to make. Talk to her about it. Talk to Kyo.”

Miyavi shook his head. They started walking again towards home. Miyavi looked down at his daughters’ pictures again and sniffled.

            As they approached the factory, Toshiya patted Miyavi’s back and smiled. Miyavi smiled back and went to say something, but a scream caught his attention. They ran through the gate barely caught the sight of someone hanging from a balcony ledge.

“Oh shit!” Toshiya shouted. He and Miyavi ran into the factory. Those inside were shocked as they ran through the foyer and to the hallway where the stairs were. They stormed up to the fourth floor where they could hear the screaming even more. Toshiya charged down the hallway and opened the door.

            Reita could feel his arm slipping in Kai’s grasp. His wrist slipped through and their hands gripped onto each other. Reita sniffled as he watched Nao lift the bloody knife once more. He couldn’t watch his mate be stabbed again. Kai’s grip was weakening and Reita whimpered

“Please…let go and fight back.” He cried.

Nao shouted as he went to stab Kai again, but he yelped when he was suddenly yanked back. Toshiya had grabbed him by the neck and threw him into the floor. Miyavi moved to hold Nao down as Toshiya ran to the balcony. He saw blood pooling around Kai’s body.

“Nao stabbed him” Reita cried, “Help him!”

“You first.” Toshiya said reaching down to grab the blonde.

            Nao growled as he changed into his wolf form and bit into Miyavi’s shoulder making him scream out in pain. Toshiya turned in time to see Nao charging for them. Knowing Kai still had a hold of Reita, he let go and moved to change into his grey wolf form. Toshiya moved to snap at Nao, but the omega jumped over him and onto Kai’s body. Nao bit down on the alpha’s arm and ripped at it. Kai yelled in pain, but Toshiya slammed his body into Nao pushing him off Kai’s body. The forced jerked Kai and he gasped as his hand slipped.

“ _No!”_ He screamed as he watched Reita’s body drop through the air.

            After seeing Toshiya run through the foyer, Koichi proceeded to wake Yoshiki up from his slumber. After getting up Yoshiki looked around the room.

“Where’s Nao? Where’s Tora?”

“They said something about getting some food.” Saga said looking up from his game of solitaire. Yoshiki started walking to the kitchen with Koichi and Saga close behind. As they walked towards the kitchen doorway they saw Takeru laying on the floor. Koichi covered his mouth when he saw all the blood. Yoshiki ran to him and knelt next to his body. He pressed his fingers against the young omega’s neck and closed his eyes as he pulled away. He shook his head and Koichi gasped burying his head into Saga’s shoulder. Yoshiki walked further in to find Tora on his back groaning in pain. There was vomit next to his body.

“Koichi, go call Shinya and tell him Tora’s hurt! Saga stay in here with him.” Yoshiki ordered before running out.

            He ran down the hallway to see the body of a wolf charging into the foyer. As made it to the stairs Toshiya’s wolf form jumped from the stairs chasing it. Yoshiki ran after them out of the factory doors. He spotted Toshiya stopping at the gate before running towards the side. He followed the grey wolf, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Toshiya changed into his human form. He dropped next to a body on the ground. Yoshiki looked up to see Miyavi helping someone on the balcony. He looked back down at the body on the ground and noticed the familiar mop of blonde hair.

“Oh no.” He gasped.

            Nao whimpered as he ran through the city. He cried slowing to walk as he entered unfamiliar territory. He sniffed around and knew he wasn’t in his part of the city anymore. He swallowed hard before turning and walking back, but he stopped. He couldn’t go back. Not after what he’s done. He turned around again to find a man with long brown hair standing there. His body shook as alpha pressure surrounded his body. The man was tall, wore loose skirt like pants, and his shirt was wide open despite the cold weather. Nao swallowed hard as the fit man walked towards him. He turned to run, but found a young man in all white with white hair smiling at him. He looked between them as they closed in on him.

“What do we have here?” The man said with a smile. “You don’t belong on this side of the city. You’re part of Kyo’s pack aren’t you?”

Nao sniffled. “No. No not anymore. Not after what I’ve done.”

“Oh.” The white haired man said. “What did the little puppy do?”

“I…I killed a pack member and tried to kill two others. I…hope those two are dead.”

The man smiled. “My, my, what a brave little stray. I think I’d like to hear your story. What’s your name?”

“N-Nao.”

“Nao, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Hiro, my mate here is Cazqui. Come let’s talk.”


	16. Threat

            _“What do you plan on doing with him?”_

_Reita woken up to the sound of people talking. His body was sore and he couldn’t remember why. He raised his hand to scratch his neck, but found something metal wrapped around it. He froze in the spot as the men near him kept talking._

_“I don’t know yet. I was considering the sex ring, but he’s a carrier.” The older man spoke. Reita slowly moved his head up and found himself in a familiar cage. Standing outside of it was Dogma and one of his lackeys. “I was also thinking about putting him in the Cage.”_

_“Either way you’ll have to get rid of his uterus first.” The lackey said. “Don’t want him getting pregnant. Then again, you could put him in the Producers.”_

_“Nah, I have plenty omegas making me pups.” Dogma turned and smiled down at him. “He’ll replace the omega that just died in the Cage. Get him prepped for surgery and start him on the drugs. Akira, you come from a strong bloodline. You’ll make me a hefty sum in the Cage.”_

_“Don’t forget, Dogma, omega’s can grow their uteruses back.”_

_“Akira won’t, not after I’m done with him.”_

            Reita opened his eyes slowly. The room was warm and was bright from the sun shining in. He could tell it was well past noon by the position of the sun. He sighed. He’s been sleeping later and later. At first he himself barely noticed it, but now he was sure Kai took note of it. He slowly raised up, hissing from the pain in his wrist. He looked down at the bandage that was wrapped around his hand and arm. He gripped it with his other hand held it close to his chest.

            The last thing he had remembered was slipping through Kai’s fingers and falling. When had woke up, Toshiya and Yoshiki were carrying him inside. They said he was lucky to have landed in a loosely packed pile of snow. His only injuries from the fall were a bad sprain wrist, a bruised back, and a cut on the back of his head. Plus his hands had been scrapped from the concrete of the balcony and cut up from Nao cutting his hands with the knife. All of this happened two weeks ago and they still hadn’t found Nao. He had simply disappeared.

Reita felt awful after that. Everyone did. They lost a member of their pack. Takeru was gone and they would never be able to see his bright smile again. They had a funeral for him the day after the incident and Reita nor Kai were able to attend because they were bedridden. Reita felt it was his fault even though everyone including Kai told him otherwise.

            Reita wasn’t allowed to be alone anymore. No matter where he went or did he had to have someone with him. Kai was free to move around, but he hadn’t left Reita’s side. The alpha’s injuries weren’t as bad as they had thought. Nao only sliced into Kai’s side and the second time he stabbed Kai wasn’t that deep of a wound. He bleed out a lot, but nothing serious was damaged.

            The blonde looked over to see the futon next his empty. He found it odd because since the incident, Kai wouldn’t leave the room until he had woken up. Reita carefully stood up and walked to the door. He opened it up to foyer to look around. They had been staying on the first floor instead of fourth because of their injuries. As he walked out, he found his body still sore, but not as bad as it was the weeks before.

            He found Yoshiki walking straight up to him with a concerned smile. He returned the gesture as the alpha approached him. “You shouldn’t be up and moving.”

“I was looking for Kai.” Reita mumbled. “Do you know where he is?”

“He woke up earlier and went to the kitchen to make you something to eat. It’s nearly noon so he figured you’d be hungry.”

The Reita sighed. “Not really.”

“You worry him.” Yoshiki said softly. “By not eating properly. He doesn’t want to force you to do something you don’t want to do, but he will if it means you’re healthy. He’s not the only one. Shinya’s been pushing for you to eat more too. You won’t get stronger unless you get some calories in you.”

Reita placed his hand over his stomach. “I just don’t feel hungry hardly ever. When I do eat I feel nauseas.”

“Have you told Shinya this? How long has this been going on?”

“I don’t know.” Reita mumbled. “A while now. I got like this back when…I was fighting. It would last a few weeks then go away. I was hoping it would go away on its own like before, but…”

“It’s not?” Yoshiki asked and Reita shook his head.

“It’s gotten worse actually.”

“When Shinya gets here I’m going to tell him that you need a check-up tonight. You are going to tell him everything you told me.” The alpha ordered.

Reita nodded his head and looked down. Before he could speak anymore a soothing sensation filled his chest. He looked up to see Kai walking to them carrying two bowls. His alpha was shirtless, but had bandages on his side and no doubt one on his upper back and well as one on his upper arm. As the brunette stepped forward, Yoshiki took his leave.

Kai smiled. “Let’s sit down.”

            Reita followed him slowly to middle of the foyer to sit on the statue. Once situated, Kai handed the bowl over to him with a smile. Reita took a whiff of the cheesy potato soup.

“I hope you like it.” Kai said softly. “You need to eat it all. If you want more afterwards I’ll get you another bowl.”

Reita’s ears twitched at the underline order. He gave a small smile before nodding. He couldn’t refuse an order from his alpha. His omega instincts wouldn’t allow him to, so Reita slowly ate the bowl of soup.

‘I would have killed to have this when I was with Dogma. So why can’t I seem to stomach it now?’ He thought as he continued to eat. He caught Kai’s worried stare and gave him a reassuring nod. “It’s delicious. Thank you for going through the trouble of making it.”

Kai reached out and rubbed his mate’s cheek. “Anything for you. Eat it all.”

It was a gentle order, but an order nonetheless and Reita had to follow it. Kai watched anxiously as the blonde ate another spoonful. He could feel Reita’s discomfort and he felt terrible, but he couldn’t stand and watch his mate starve any longer.

            Across town at that same moment a young woman entered the very stylish salon. She smiled as she walked up the register. The blue haired employee greeted her happily. The woman looked around. “I don’t see Tsuzuku. We had an appointment.”

“Oh, um, he had an unexpected visitor. It’s kind of an urgent meeting about the salon. Something serious came up. He’s in the back room, but it may take a little while for him to finish. I don’t mind working on your hair for you.”

The lady sighed. “No offense, but I really only like him. Well, I don’t have any plans so I can wait.”

The blue haired woman gave the client a forced smile and waited for her sit before going back to work.

            In the back room Tsuzuku slammed in his hands on the table and gasped out. He let out a low moan as Ryoga thrusted harder into him. The blonde had walked into the salon with a pervy smile and Tsuzuku noticed the strong smell of musk coming from him. He of course guided Ryoga to the back room where they had proceeded to lock the door and throw off all their clothes.

Ryoga had a good grip on the brunette’s hips as he pushed harder. He loved hearing the omega moan and begging for more. Tsuzuku gasped as he felt Ryoga’s hand wrap around his hard member and start pumping it. The blonde leant over and bit into Tsuzuku’s neck while pushing a steady amount of from pressure on him. The omega closed his eyes as his body began to float. Nothing else mattered except feeling the alpha inside him. He reached up and clenched Ryoga’s hair.

He gasped out. “Cum in me.”

Ryoga hummed in delight as he kept pushing and working Tsuzuku’s body. He pulled off with a lick. “You’d like that, my cute little omega?”

Tsuzuku moaned “Yes…”

“You’d like for me to fill your belly with babies?” Ryoga asked with a smirk.

“Yes!” He cried out.

Ryoga sucked on his neck once more before pulling of and whispering in his ear. “You want me to claim you? Mark you as mine?”

Tsuzuku moaned out squirting his cum all over the floor. Ryoga milked him some more before pushing more pressure on him. Tsuzuku dropped onto the table as his body was continued being pounded into. He closed his eyes feeling his body float into the air. He felt so good, so relaxed and happy. All he could think was his alpha was pleased. Then he felt soft kisses on his neck and shoulder.

His eyes opened and he slowly back down from his high. He felt Ryoga pulling out slowly. He sat up on shaky legs, but the blonde held him in place. Tsuzuku turned with a smile earning a kiss in return. Ryoga sat the omega on the chair before pulling his condom off and tying it. He tossed it in the trash can before gathering up their clothes. He turned to see Tsuzuku laying his head on the table staring at him.

“What?” Ryoga asked.

“Have you thought about staying?” Tsuzuku asked.

The blonde sighed pulling up his pants. “No” He lied.

“Would you think about it?” Tsuzuku asked shyly. “I’d like for you to stay here…with me. If we talk to Kyo, he’ll be extremely pissed, but he’ll let you stay. He may hate you for a while for taking me without his permission, but…” He stopped talking when he noticed Ryoga’s blank stare.

“I’m leaving next week.”

“What?” Tsuzuku gasped sitting up. “Why?”

Ryoga shrugged. “I already quit my job. I’m bored with this place.”

“Bored…with me?”

The blonde looked away. “I couldn’t be bored with you. I thought about asking you to come with me. We could start our own pack. But this is your home and you wouldn’t leave. So I didn’t bother.”

“Wait…didn’t bother…you were just going to take off without telling me weren’t you?” Tsuzuku gasped with tears in his eyes. “You weren’t going to tell me.”

Ryoga slipped his shirt on and smiled. “I told you from the beginning that I didn’t want a relationship. I just wanted to have fun. I told you I would be leaving.”

“I know, but…I didn’t think I’d…”

“Like me?” Ryoga asked. “We can’t be mates. As much as you want us to be, we can’t. I don’t belong to a pack. I don’t belong to you. I’ve always been a lone wolf and I always will be. I wanted to take you out one last time, but maybe we should part ways here.”

Tsuzuku held back his tears as he stood up. “I thought we had a connection…I thought you were potentially a mate. That’s way I went through all this again. I thought I would try one more time. But it looks like fate missed me when assigning mates.”

“Tsu…”

“Get out.” He ordered. “And don’t ever show your face to me again.”

Ryoga felt his chest twist. He felt the sadness Tsuzuku was going through, but he nodded grabbing his wallet and walking out of the room. The omega sat there quietly wiping his tears away before putting his clothes on. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the break room.

            Kyo sat a few plates down on a guest’s table before saying thanks and returning to the kitchen. As he did the waitress he was covering for came back from her break. She took over her tables so he snuck to the break room and went to his locker. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes before stepping out the back door. He spotted Kaoru there with Aoi next to him. The alpha had insisted on training Aoi in the restaurant as a host and he was doing a good job except when Kaoru wanted to pull out to the back for some alone time. Kaoru took a drag from his cigarette and smiled as Kyo lit his own.

            Kyo let out a deep breath and glanced over at Aoi, who was trying to hide behind Kaoru’s body. Kyo licked his lips before walking over to get a look at the raven. You would never guess by his looks that he would be this shy.

“Aoi.” He spoke making the omega flinch. “I won’t hurt you. There’s no need to be scared of me or of the pack for that matter. I know Kaoru will protect you, but so will we. We want you to feel comfortable around us and at home.”

Kaoru smiled and nodded to his leader. “See, I told you Kyo wasn’t that bad.”

“Well, well, well look at what we have here.”

Kyo’s ears perked at the voice and he felt a sudden anger wash through his body. He growled turning around, his body starting to change form. Aoi whimpered hiding behind Kaoru’s body. They looked at the man standing there with long braided hair. Kaoru looked around and noticed the four accompanying wolves nearby. Kyo seemed to have notice too because he didn’t straight up attack Hiro.

“Hiro.” Kyo growled. “Do you want to die?”

Hiro laughed and waved his hands in the air. “I didn’t come here to fight. My little pup there seemed to have gotten lost. I just came to take him home before he caused too much trouble.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Kyo snapped. “Now get off my territory before I rip out your throat.”

“Not without Aoi. Come here, Aoi.” He called. “Come on back and everything will be okay. You won’t be in trouble, I know you just got lost.”

Aoi dug his head into Kaoru’s back and whimpered. The alpha let out a low growl. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“Always ones to pick up strays.” Hiro laughed. “Aoi, get over here now. That’s an order.”

“You have no business here.” Kyo growled, his hair standing up and his nails sharpening.

Hiro smirked. “How’s Shinya doing, Kyo?” The leader froze wide eyed. “After losing his pup the way he did? I’m amazed he managed to live. After all you did fail in protecting him.”

“I will kill you.” Kyo’s voice broke as he cried out.

“Give Aoi back and I’ll leave Shinya alone. Give him back right now and I won’t kill your omegas.”

“I won’t let you come near my pack again.” Kyo warned. His body was emitting waves of pressure, his emotions were getting the better of him.

Aoi sniffled before pushing away from Kaoru’s body and stepping forward. Hiro smiled at him and waved for him to come closer. Kaoru went to grab Aoi’s arm, but he pulled out of the grip. As he moved closer, Kyo pressed his hand against the omega’s chest stopping him in his tracks.

“He’s my omega now. He doesn’t belong to you anymore. Touch my pack and we will go to war again.”

Hiro smirked. “Very well. Keep an eye on your new puppy. What was his name? Akira?”

Kyo growled “Stay away from him!”

“No guarantees. Aoi, I’ll give you twenty-four hours to come home.”

Aoi moved to take another step forward, but Kaoru gripped his arm and pulled him back. The alpha stood in front of him and glared at Hiro. “Aoi will not go back to you. He’s not some sex slave for you to abuse. He’s not yours, he’s mine.”

“Oh but you think he belongs to you? You hear that Aoi, he wants to own you.”

Aoi shook his head. “No.” He whispered. “Not Kaoru.”

Hiro held his anger, but looked back at Kyo who had stopped transforming and going back to his human form. “Very well. I’ll see you soon.”

            Tsuzuku sniffled as he walked into the factory. He wiped his eyes as he stepped into the warm room. He decided to leave work early and head home. He walked into the foyer to find Reita and Kai sitting cross legged from each other. They were holding hands with their eyes closed, but Reita’s eye shot open and he gasped. He fell forward into Kai’s arms. Kai was grasping his mate, petting his back.

“It’s okay.” Kai whispered. “It’s okay.”

Tsuzuku walked over to the wall and sat against it near them. Koichi had spotted him when he came in and ran over to sit by him. Kai sat Reita back up and swiped his hair out of his face. He leaned in and kissed the blonde’s forehead.

“Stay here and rest. I’ll go heat you up some more soup.”

“You don’t have to. I’m not even hungry.” Reita said with a smile, but Kai stood up anyways.

“I’ll be back.” Kai said ignoring him.

The blonde sighed and looked over as Koichi wiped Tsuzuku’s face. Reita moved and sat by them. “Hey Tsuzuku, what’s wrong.”

He smiled and sniffled some more. “You know those days I would go hang out with my coworkers and sometimes stay the night with them.”

“Yeah, Kyo almost had your ass last time you did that. He’s not very happy with you right now.” Koichi said.

“Yeah well, I wasn’t with them. I was…I was with an alpha. A traveling lone wolf. He’d been staying here and he took an interest in me like I took one in him. We hooked up and started a fling. Well he decided he wanted to leave town to do his lone wolf thing. I asked him to stay, but he said no. We split today…”

“Oh Tsuzuku…” Koichi sighed.

“I felt a connection between us. Hell, our last couple of dates when we made out or had sex…he sent me into a pressure sphere. It was so amazing and I fell for him. And he left me…” Tsuzuku whimpered. Koichi gripped his friend’s hand.

“He was an asshole. He had something amazing and he will forever regret it.”

Tsuzuku smiled. “I lost something amazing too.”

“Maybe…he’ll change his mind.” Reita mumbled. “You said he was a loner. It’s difficult to change lifestyles suddenly. Trust me. He may just be scared is all? If he comes back, I would give him a second chance.”

“He won’t come back.”

“He might.” Reita said softly. “If you felt something then he probably did too. He’ll come back for you.”

“Please. Don’t even try to get my hopes up.” Tsuzuku said with a smile.

“Yeah, besides there are plenty of others who can send you into a pressure sphere.” Koichi said nudging his friend. “Like Toshiya. He’s still unmated.”

“A pressure sphere? What’s that?” Reita asked getting wide eyes stare from them.

“You’ve never heard of pressure sphere?” Koichi said. “What rock have you been living under?”

“One with a cage?” Reita tried to joke, but got sad stares. At that moment, Kai had stepped up with a tray of bowls. He sat down before passing them around to the omegas. He looked at Reita who was looking at his food with disinterest.

“Eat Reita.” Kai ordered and the omega nodded.

“Anyways!” Koichi said pointing his spoon right at Kai. “Why doesn’t Reita know about pressure spheres, Kai? You’re not doing a good job with your mate.”

“H-hey! I’ve sent him into it. The day he went into heat I did.”

Reita blushed. “Oh…you mean when I got all loopy? That’s a pressure sphere?”

Kai nodded. “Pressure sphere is where mates are intimate and the alpha sends pressure into his or her omega. It sends them into euphoric state. It causes an omega to have an amazing amount of pleasure especially during heats.”

Reita blushed. “So…why haven’t we done it since?”

The other two omegas glared at Kai, making him nervous. “Well, you know…I just…there is a risk to it too. If an alpha doesn’t coax you out of it properly you can drop and it can be painful. I just don’t want that to happen.”

Koichi rolled his eyes. “You worry too much Kai. Omegas dropping doesn’t happen often and when it does it only hurts for a few minutes.”

“You’ve never dropped, so you have no idea.” Tsuzuku scoffed. “It sucks.”

“You have?” Koichi asked and his friend nodded.

Tsuzuku gripped Reita’s hand. “Dropping is when pressure is suddenly yanked from you and it feels like you’re suffocating. Your chest burns and you feel disconnected from everything. It lasts for a couple of minutes, but it feels like hours. During that time you’re confused and upset. You typically have a headache afterwards and need to sleep.”

“But pressure sphere is healthy in a bond.” Kai said. “It’s actually needed to help mates stay connected to each other.”

“If you don’t regularly go into a pressure sphere then you, the omega, suffers. You get headaches, insomnia, and so on.” Koichi said. “But it’s usually only if you’re bonded.”

Reita nodded his head taking in all the info. He took another bite from his soup and looked at Kai. “Could we…could we try it tonight?”

Kai blushed. “Sure if you want to.”

“Of course he wants to!” Koichi said. “It should be considered neglect for not putting him into a pressure sphere!”

The two blushed, but smiled at each other. Kai watched as Reita slowly ate his soup and felt happy, but sad at the same time.

            Shinya yawned as he and the others walked into the factory. It had been a long day at the clinic with a large amount of patients. Shinya and Byou were thankful to have Hide’s help. They walked into the factory to find almost everyone home except Kyo and the other restaurant workers. As Byou took notice of Tora sitting off to the side on his own. Tora had taken the whole incident with Nao hard and hasn’t socialized much since. He hasn’t even talked with Saga that much which has worried Yoshiki greatly. Tora was torn inside.

            Shinya was thinking about a long hot bath and was making a beeline to his room when Yoshiki had cut him off. Shinya felt dread in his stomach when he saw the alpha’s expression. After being told what Reita had said that morning, Shinya felt his concerns grow. He looked over at where Reita was. He was lying with his head on Kai’s lap. They were talking with Tsuzuku, who was playing with Koichi’s hair, and Uruha who was massaging Ruki’s shoulders. He took a deep breath before walking over to the group.

“Kai, I still can’t believe you haven’t put Reita in a pressure sphere since the first time you kissed.” Ruki said. “I put Uru in it at least twice a week.”

“Yeah, well you guy are practically humping each other every five minutes.” Kai retorted.

Reita’s face turned red as Uruha smiled happily. Shinya shook his head and sat next to them catching their attentions. He looked down at Reita with a stern expression. The blonde swallowed hard and raised up. He knew where this was going.

“Reita…”Shinya sighed. “I told you if something was wrong that you needed to tell me. Instead I hear it from Yoshiki.”

“Reita? What is he talking about?” Kai asked. Reita played with his thumbs as he looked down. Shinya looked around silently telling the others to leave them alone. The four nodded before leaving them.

            Reita told them about his loss of appetite and nausea. Told them about his fatigue and his need to sleep more.

“I had noticed the fatigue.” Shinya stated. “But I figured it was caused from your body recovering from Nao’s attack. You not eating…I’m sorry we just assumed it was because before you came here you didn’t get to eat that much. We had hoped you being here would change that bad habit. It seems we were wrong. It looks to be something more serious than what we…what I had previously thought. I’m sorry Reita I should have taken more precautions to your condition.”

“No, it’s my fault.” Reita mumbled. “I thought it would go away on its own.”

Kai looked hurt. “You hid it from me.”

“I know I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Reita how can we ever bond if you don’t open up to me?” Kai said holding his hand. “You’re supposed to trust me with these things. I’m your alpha, it’s my job to protect you and take care of you. I can’t do that if you choose to block me out.”

“I…” Reita whispered. “I’m so sorry. I want to bond with you more than anything. I just don’t want you to be hurt because of me.”

“Reita.” Shinya spoke up with a smile. “Being in a bond means to share your pain. It means to share your troubles, your happiness, and everything in between. That’s why it is so special. I don’t know what is wrong with you yet, but I will find out. Right now its best you let Kai in fully and let him take some of this stress from you.”

“Kyo said that they only way to fully feel each other without restraints is through making the bond.” Reita mumbled.

“Maybe that’s exactly what you need to do.” The beta said

“Kyo forbid us from doing it.” Kai said. “I won’t go against him.”

“Sometimes you have to do what’s best for you even if that means disobeying your alpha.” Shinya said. “If you choose to do it, let me know. I will take the full blame for it.”

“Shinya how can you take the full blame for something we do?”

The beta smiled. “I have my ways.”

“Will bonding make him better?” Kai asked. “Even a little bit?”

“I don’t know.” Shinya said.

“Kyo doesn’t want us to until I’m already connected to my inner wolf.” Reita whispered.

“It could help.” Shinya said.

“But what if it makes things worse?” Kai asked.

Shinya closed his eyes. “Kamijo and Teru bonded before Teru was reconnected to his inner wolf and he’s fine. All I know is that Reita is in a worse condition than we had previously thought. We need to try something.”

“It’s been almost three months.” Reita gasped. “How am I not better?”

“I don’t know, but I will find out.”

The blonde sniffled and rubbed his face. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I want to go to bed.”

“Reita, you need to eat first.”

“No!” The omega snapped. “No more eating. Please Kai no more. I just want to go to bed.”

The brunette bit his lip. Seeing his mate like this broke his heart. He pulled Reita into a tight hug. “Okay. Okay, let’s go to bed.”

“Can we sleep upstairs?” He mumbled.

“Of course.”

            Kai helped Reita up to his feet and they held hands as they walked through to the hallway. They walked up to the fourth floor to their own room. Kai opened the door and Reita walked in first. Kai watched as his mate dropped onto his futon. He walked over and sat next to Reita. He rubbed the blonde’s cheek making him look up. Reita leaned in for a kiss and Kai gladly accepted it as they slowly laid down. Kai slowly made his way on top of his mate who hummed wrapping his arms around the alpha’s neck. Kai pulled up and looked at his blushing mate.

“Kai…”Reita said softly. “I…I want us to bond.”

“Rei…”

“Please.”

Kai captured Reita’s lips again. The blonde closed his eyes at the contact and gasped when he felt his mate’s hand sliding up under his shirt. The brunette moved down and kissed the pale neck. Reita moaned out feeling pressure filling his chest. He closed his eyes as his body began to float. He felt Kai’s body on top of him rubbing against him. All he could feel was his mate. Reita felt his mate bite into his neck as a hand slipped into his pants.

“Kai.” He moaned.

“Shh. Just feel.” Kai whispered. “I’ll make you forget everything.”

            It wasn’t too long before Kyo, Kaoru, IV, and Aoi were all walking in. Kyo was pissed to say the least. Aoi was hanging off of Kaoru like usual, but he seemed terrified. Kyo jumped up on the statue and whistled out.

“Everyone gather up!” He yelled. He watched as everyone from both packs surrounded the statue and look up at him. He looked around for a moment and noticed the absence of two of his pack. “Where are Kai and Reita?”

The group looked around and Shinya stepped up. “Resting.”

“Get them down here. Now.” He ordered. Shinya swallowed hard and nodded. He disappeared from the group and Kyo took a deep breath. He was trying to wait patiently but he was already fuming.

            He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps, but he only saw Shinya. His mate was staring nervously at him. Shinya made his way up and stood next to his lover to whisper in his ear.

“Now is not the best time for them to come down,”

“I ordered them down here.” Kyo growled and Shinya whimpered from the negative pressure his mate pushing onto him.

“They can’t…They’re…”

“What Shinya?” Kyo snapped.

“They began to bond.”

“What?” The alpha shouted. “They’re bonding? Right now?”

Everyone in the room whispered shocked by the news. Shinya nodded his head. Kyo let out a loud growl before jumping off the statue and charging towards the hallway. Yoshiki ran quickly to cut him off and hold him back.

“Move!” Kyo ordered.

“No.” Yoshiki stood his ground. “Let them be.”

“They’re going against my commands!”

“If they’ve started to bond then you cannot stop it!” Yoshiki shouted. “If you do you will cause irreversible damage. You wanted to prevent a broken bond. If you stop them now, what they have will be damaged beyond repair. They will never be able to make a fully connected bond with any mate. Reita will not survive that pain!”

Kyo continued to growl. “You are not their pack leader. I am.”

“Which means it is your job to make sure they’re not interrupted. It is your responsibility that they complete the bond and protect them while they do so. It is your job to advise, but when the time comes you cannot control when mates choose to bond with each other. They need this, Kyo. Reita needs this.”

The alpha closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His friend was right and he knew it. Shinya grabbed his hand and held it. He looked into his mate’s eyes before rubbing his face. Today had one stressful problem after another.


	17. The Bond

            Kai licked down Reita’s neck and bit onto it. The blonde gasped out from the sensation. His mind floated away as Kai pushed more positive pressure into his body. Kai licked up the pale neck and slipped his tongue into Reita’s mouth. On instinct Reita raised his arms and wrapped them around his mate’s neck. Kai slide his hand down Reita’s body and slipped it into his pants. Reita gasped out feeling his member being gripped. He opened his glazed eyes and looked at his mate. Kai pulled his lips away and moved his head down kissing down the blonde’s body. Reita moaned feeling the soft lips moved down his chest.

            Kai licked at Reita’s nipples and sucked on one before kissing down his stomach. He kissed the blonde’s navel and down his lower abdomen. Kai pulled his hand out of Reita’s pants and pulled them off along with the grey boxers the blonde was wearing. He made sure to keep a constant pressure flowing into Reita’s body as he did this. He looked down at Reita cock and saw it leaking pre-cum. Kai licked his lips. He went down and kissed the tip making Reita shiver. The blonde gasped feeling his mate’s lips wrap around his member. He shivered feeling Kai’s tongue swirl around him.

            Kai gave a few good sucks before taking the hard cock further into his mouth. He rubbed small circles on Reita’s thighs as he bobbed his head. Reita reached down and gripped Kai’s messy hair. He moaned out feeling high. Kai pulled off with a pop making Reita whimper from the loss. The brunette pulled his shirt off before crawling back up and kissing Reita’s lips. The omega hummed at the sensation and rubbed Kai’s chest.

            They parted their lips and stared at each other with blushed cheeks. Reita blinked a few time coming out of the pressure sphere Kai had put him in. He smiled up at him. Kai rubbed his cheek and pressed a kiss on his lips before getting off. Reita watched as his mate walked over his dresser in the room. He pulled out a tube of lube from the top drawer and walked over to his mate. Reita watched as Kai unfastened his pants and tossed them to side. The brunette pulled his boxers off and kicked them to the side. Reita stared at his half hard cock as it bounced from Kai’s movements. The brunette dropped down to his knees and petted his mate’s face.

            “Are you sure you want to bond?” Kai asked. Reita smiled as he reached out and grabbed the brunette’s cock. Kai smiled as the blonde started pumping at it.

“I want you inside of me.” Reita said. “I want you to feel what I feel. I want to feel what you feel. I want be yours and I want you to be mine.”

Kai nodded. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Kai moved down to capture his mate’s lips again. Reita hummed into the kiss. Kai pulled off and kissed down his neck. As Kai moved his own body down and he placed soft kisses along Reita’s torso. He moved in between the blonde’s legs. He grabbed the lube and squirted it on his hand. He rubbed his hands together before using one to massage Reita’s cock making him shiver.

“If it gets too much for you to handle, let me know.” Kai whispered and Reita nodded.

            Kai positioned his finger at Reita’s entrance and rubbed it. Reita gave a soft giggle and then a moan. Kai smiled slipping his finger inside. He moved slowly watching Reita’s expression for any pain. Reita’s eyes opened and he looked right at him. Kai felt his chest blossoming with heat. He slipped a second finger inside and Reita moaned. He thrusted the fingers gently as he continued to play with Reita’s member.

            The blonde blushed watching Kai work. Reita moved his own hand up and started rubbing his chest. He suddenly felt a wave of excitement go through his body. He glanced up to Kai’s aroused face and he hissed when the alpha slipped in a third finger. Kai rubbed his thumb over Reita’s tip to try and distract him. The brunette started thrusting his fingers making Reita moan out and his legs widen from the pleasure. He never thought he would ever feel something like this. He looked up at his mate.

“Kai,” He whimpered. “I think I’m ready.”

“Are you sure?”

Reita nodded and so Kai carefully slipped his fingers out. He let go of Reita’s cock to get more lube onto his hand. Reita moved his own hand up to continue Kai’s work on his own cock. The brunette coated his member with lube and moved closer to his lover.

            Kai rubbed Reita’s thighs as he pushed a wave of pressure to calm his tense body. Reita relaxed his muscles and closed his eyes. His heart was beating hard in his chest or was he feeling Kai’s heart beating? He wasn’t sure, but he loved it. Once he felt Reita calm down, Kai placed his member at the omega’s entrance and slowly pushed in. He rubbed Reita’s stomach trying to keep him from tensing up. The blonde hissed feeling his body being penetrated. Kai bit his lip as he pushed all the way in. He smiled and grabbed Reita’s hand. He guided it down so he could touch where they were connected. Reita eyes opened and he looked at his smiling mate.

“I’m all the way in.” Kai said leaning down. He kissed Reita’s lips making him shiver. Reita kissed back rubbing his hands in Kai’s hair.

            Kai waited until Reita was fully distracted before he pulled out and started a slow rhythm. Reita continued to kiss him to ignore the stinging in his backside. He gasped feeling Kai stroking his cock. He moved his head to the side showing his neck to Kai. The brunette let a low growl as he bit down on it. He sucked on the pale flesh sending another wave of pressure through Reita’s body. Reita clawed at Kai’s back feeling something strange happening in his chest. It wasn’t painful or anything, but it felt like a second heartbeat. A strange warmth filled his whole body.

            Kai gasped out feeling the same sensation run through his limbs. His pace picked up as their bodies burned with passion. Reita grabbed one of Kai’s hands and their fingers slipped between each other. Kai pulled from Reita’s neck and grazed his tongue up the sweaty skin before shoving it into the omega’s mouth. Reita moaned into the kiss. Kai had picked up his pace not only thrusting, but with pumping Reita’s cock as well. The blonde pulled his mouth away and a string of saliva connected their lips.

“Kai, I can’t.” Reita gasped. “I can’t…hold it any more. I’m going to cum.”

Kai smiled. “Let it all out.”

The blonde whimpered digging his nails into Kai’s back with one hand and squeezing the alpha’s hand with the other. He moaned out arching his back. His seeds shot out hitting Kai’s chest and stomach. He squirted more out onto his stomach until finally he couldn’t come anymore. His cock twitched as semen dripped out of his tip.

            As the blonde orgasmed his whole body tensed up squeezing around Kai’s cock in the process and the brunette grunted from the sensation. He thrusted his hips and moaned as he released inside Reita’s body. The blonde could feel Kai inside him. He could feel the alpha’s excitement, his happiness, and his relief. He could feel everything and it made him smile. Kai stayed inside his mate as he gasped for air. He looked through the damp hair covering his eyes and he saw Reita glowing. He leaned down and kissed his mate. Kai’s cock slowly slipped out of Reita’s body as they continued to make out. Reita pushed up on the brunette’s chest and he pulled from the kiss.

“I feel you.” Reita whispered. “I really feel you. You’re so happy right now.”

Kai gripped his mate’s hand. “I can feel you too. I _am_ so incredibly happy to be yours.”

Reita laughed before catching his mate’s lips once more.

            Kyo was sitting at the top of stairs waiting for the couple to finish their ceremony. As he sat there he spotted Kaoru walking up the steps. The leader moved aside for the alpha sit next to him. Kaoru smirked.

“I remember when we lived in my house and I had to sit at the stop of the stair case all night because you and Shinya decided to bond.”

Kyo smiled. “Those were the good old days.”

“Yeah.” Kaoru sighed. “I don’t miss it that much.”

“Really?” Kyo asked.

Kaoru shrugged. “Being a leader was a pain in the ass and the two of you didn’t help that much. You guys were assholes, just saying.”

“You loved us.” Kyo laughed.

“Yeah. I loved every one of you guys.” He sighed. “We seriously had a shitty past though.”

Kyo nodded. He looked at Kaoru and knew from his sad expression that he was remembering the awful times. “So, are you and Aoi getting anywhere?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh don’t give me that.” Kyo said. “I’ve seen the way you two act around each other. Come on Kaoru, you can’t tell me you don’t feel anything.”

“You always could read me like an open book. Yeah, I feel something. Thought I never would again, but Kyo I feel so drawn to him. It feels like he’s calling to me.”

“May be he is.”

Kaoru shrugged his shoulder, but smiled. “Maybe.”

They turned their heads hearing a loud moan come from the room a few doors down. Kaoru looked at Kyo who rolled his eyes. “That’s his third time. How many times do they plan on doing it?”

“Hey, don’t complain. Like I said, you and Shinya lasted a whole night.”

“We did not last a whole night when we first bonded.” Kyo stated. “We did it a couple of times sure, but that many, no way.”

Kaoru gave him a funny look. “You want to bet? Get Shinya up here.”

“Nah I’m good.” Kyo laughed. “I’d rather not be proven wrong.”

“Thought so.”

 _“Oh Kai!”_ Reita screamed out and they looked down the hall again. Kaoru whistled.

“Stop it.” Kyo ordered.

            They sat there in somewhat silence for a few hours, only chatting every once in a while. They would make smart ass remarks to each other or comments whenever they heard the couple making love. It wasn’t until Shinya had walked up wearing his pajamas that they realized how late it was. Kyo smiled softly at his mate and Kaoru smiled standing up.

“I’ll let you two be.” He said and made his way down to the stairs as Shinya sat next to his mate.

“I thought you’d be in bed by now.” Kyo said.

Shinya shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d keep you company.” Kyo nodded. They sat in silence for few minutes before Shinya spoke up again. “I’m sorry. I told them to bond even though you ordered them not to. This is my fault.”

“No. It’s not.” The alpha sighed. “I was being foolish trying to prevent them from doing something so natural. They were long overdue to bond. It was only a matter of time before their instincts took over anyways. I just…I look at them and I see us.”

Shinya looked at his lover. “Kyo…”

“I don’t want them to end up like we did. I don’t want them to feel the pain we’ve suffered. I don’t want them to go through what we went through.”

“Kyo, please…” Shinya sniffled.

“Shinya I am so sorry. If I had done my job and protected you we wouldn’t have lost Aya.”

Tears ran down Shinya’s cheeks as he shook his head. “No. It’s not your fault. Kyo you did what you had to do.”

Kyo shook his head. “If I had stayed with you instead of attacking them I could have protected you. Aya would be here if I had just stayed by your side!” Tears flowed freely from Kyo’s eyes. Shinya pulled his mate into a hug.

“I never blamed you.” Shinya whispered. “Not once did I blame you for what happened. You did what was right. If you hadn’t fought we would have lost our home. We would have lost everything, even our pack. You did the right thing.”

Kyo pulled away and sniffled. “But I lost my child. I almost lost you. I would have rather lost our home than Aya.”

“I know, but it happened the way it did and we can’t take it back. We can’t keep loathing over the past. If we do we won’t be able to make it. Kyo, I want us to be able to feel each other again. Just like that night when I was sick and you held me. I thought I would never feel our connection again.”

“I want to, too.” Kyo said. “I just want our bond to heal.”

“It will” Shinya sniffled. “Because I forgive you and myself for what happened that day.”

The alpha dropped his head on Shinya’s shoulder and hugged him tightly. “I never thought you would. I feared you would start hating me.”

“I could never hate you.” Shinya whispered. Kyo moved back only to pull his mate into a rough kiss.

            Kai yawned the next afternoon. He stretched as he sat up from his futon. He looked down at his sleeping mate. He smiled knowing how tired Reita was. He moved and covered the blanket up Reita’s neck before slipping on some pants. He stepped out and walked down the hallway. He was surprised to see Kyo sitting on the staircase with Shinya’s head on his lap. Kyo looked at him in the eye and glared at him. He carefully lifted Shinya’s head and sat it on the floor before standing up. He walked up to Kai.

“Kyo, please before you freak out,” Kai started, but Kyo punched him in the stomach making him fall to his knees. Shinya sat up hearing the commotion and gasped at the scene. Kyo dropped down and sat cross legged.

“That was for disobeying my orders.” Kyo said as Kai grunted and then he smiled and patted Kai on the back. “Congratulations. Now all that’s left to do is wait for Reita’s next heat so you can seal the bond and complete it.”

Kai looked over at Shinya with a confused expression who just shrugged his shoulders at their leader’s strange behavior. Kai looked up at Kyo’s smiling face. “Yeah, thanks.”

“We need to talk.” Kyo said. “You remember Hiro?”

“Yeah the psycho leader of our neighboring pack. Why?”

“He’s about to start another war with us. Apparently, Aoi was a member of his pack and Hiro wants him back. I wouldn’t let him take Aoi. Now he has threatened us. More specifically Shinya and Reita by name.”

Kai gasped. “What? How does he know about Reita?”

Kyo sighed. “We think Nao told him. It’s only way he could have known.”

“That little…”Kai growled.

“Kai.” Kyo said. “Hiro knew Reita by his original name, by ‘Akira’. I don’t know if knows about Reita’s past, or if Nao just told him what he knew, but either way I don’t think it’s safe for Reita to leave the factory without protection.”

            Reita’s eyes opened. He felt strange as a wave of anger went through him. He sat up realizing Kai was angry about something. He got up to his feet and stumbled. He grabbed his pants and slipped them on. He limped out of the room and saw his mate down the hall sitting with their leader. Kai’s glanced over at him and got up to run over.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” Reita asked tiredly.

Kai sighed and kissed Reita’s forehead. “I’ll tell you everything after you eat something.”

“Kai I’m not—”

“I know, but just a little bit please.” Kai whispered and Reita nodded his head.

            Tsuzuku sighed as he finished his client’s haircut. The young teen paid then took off. Tsuzuku fanned himself for a minute before he started cleaning up the mess at his station. He did some calculations and realized it was about time for his heat to hit. Of course it would happen now of all times. He thought about calling one of the alpha’s to come take him home, but the salon was booked today. He couldn’t leave his coworkers hanging not after spending so many days out from the storm and from being sick just a couple of weeks ago. He decided to just deal with it and hang on until the end of the day. Besides he was back to closing the salon again. He waved for his next customer to come over. He looked over at the door expecting to see Ryoga walking in at any minute, but the he never did. Tsuzuku smiled at the young man sitting his chair asking for a rainbow colored Mohawk.

            Kaoru dumped the trash in the dumpster before heading back in. He washed his hands and started back on the line. He looked out often to see Aoi guiding people to their tables. He would sit the food out on the line and watch the raven at the same time. Aoi still had a hard time talking to customers. He opted to putting a button on Aoi’s shirt saying he was a mute so they wouldn’t get complaints when he didn’t speak. It actually worked to their surprise.

            It was around noon when the other chef came into work. Kaoru had him work the line for him and called in a waitress to take over Aoi’s position as hostess. He decided they would leave for home early that day. The threat from yesterday had Kaoru on edge. He didn’t want Aoi traveling too late in the day. Within thirty minutes they were walking up to the factory gates. Kaoru lead the way inside and found Yoshiki’s pack cleaning up the foyer.

They avoided them so they wouldn’t be in the way. Kaoru led Aoi to one of the side rooms and shut the door. Aoi looked around nervously. The alpha sensed this and gave him a smile before sitting down.

“We don’t want to bother them while they clean. Take a seat, I want to talk to you about something.” He waited for Aoi to sit in front of him before he started talking again. “In here no one can hear us. I know you are scared to talk, but I swear I will not do anything to you. I want you to tell me everything about you and Hiro’s pack.” Aoi whimpered, but Kaoru grabbed his hand. “I need to know. I need to assure everyone that you are not a threat to our pack. I know you’re scared, but please I am asking you to trust me.”

Aoi swallowed hard and opened his mouth. “I…I was locked in a room. I served the pack.”

“How?”

“They did things to me.” He whispered. “Dirty things.”

Kaoru nodded. “I’m sorry. You have to tell me.”

Aoi sniffled. “They forced me to…be a bed partner.”

“They raped you.”

Aoi whimpered, but nodded. “That was my purpose. Since I was sold to them by my old pack to pay off a debt.”

Kaoru nodded. “I understand. You don’t have say anything else.”

“A member named Masashi,” Aoi continued to speak, “he came in the most. He liked to hit me. When I spoke they would whip me. I was chained to a bed for god knows how long and they made me their plaything. I was nothing, but a sex slave to them. They sold me to normal people, too. I wasn’t just for the pack, but for anyone who could buy me.”

“Aoi...” Kaoru said sadly feeling his chest twist in pain.

“They would drug me whenever I fought back. When I went into heat it never ended.” He started to cry. “They would induce my heat sometimes just so they could get a large group of people to fuck me. They ruined me. I can’t be with anyone now.”

The alpha shook his head and pulled Aoi into a hug. “That’s not true. You’re not ruined and you will never go through that again. I will die before I let that happen to you again.”

Aoi sniffled. “You’re not going to make me go back?”

“Of course not.” Kaoru whispered. He pulled back and rubbed the omega’s cheek. He leaned in hesitating at first. Aoi’s lips shook and his breathing grew faster. Kaoru moved so he wouldn’t startle the omega, but Aoi clenched his shirt. The raven haired man pulled Kaoru’s shirt bringing him closer. The alpha moved in and carefully pressed his lips against Aoi’s chapped ones. The omega froze at first, but relaxed into the kiss. Kaoru pulled away. Aoi dropped his head on the alpha’s shoulder. Kaoru hugged Aoi’s body. He wouldn’t let his omega get hurt again.

            Later that evening the salon was getting ready to close up. They swept the rooms and cleaned up the supplies. Tsuzuku grabbed the mop and bucket to clean up the floor. He told his coworkers to go ahead and leave. He wanted to be alone for a while anyways. He fanned himself for a few minutes before he started mopping. He made quick work of the floor and dumped the water out. He gathered his things and headed out the door. He held his coat on his arm as he locked the door.

He pressed his head against the window. He was burning up. He should have called someone to walk him home. He didn’t know how he was going to get there in this condition. He turned to walk away when he noticed four men standing around him. Swallowed hard realizing they were alpha wolves. The leader stepped forward with a smile and he took a deep breath. Tsuzuku knew he was giving off strong pheromones. He stepped back and turned to run inside, but he was tackled to the ground. The man on top of him breathed in his scent. He grinded his hips in Tsuzuku’s ass making him whimper. The leader laughed.

“I can’t wait until we get home.” Masashi said licking Tsuzuku’s neck. “You’ll make a great replacement for Aoi.”

Reita and Kai was sitting in their room when Uruha knocked as he stepped in. He smiled at the couple. “Kyo wants you guys to come down. He needs to announce something to the pack.”

“Did something happen?” Kai asked.

“Yeah. You guys better hurry.” Uruha said and left. The two quickly slipped into some decent clothes before heading out of the room. They held hands as they walked down to the first floor. Kai walked slowly for Reita, since he was still sore from the night before. They walked down the hallway and stepped out to foyer to see everyone looking over at them.

“Congratulations!” They all shouted. The two started laughing as everyone clapped and cheered. They looked over to see Uruha and Ruki laughing as they clapped their hands. A whistle caught their attention and everyone turned to Yoshiki and Kyo who were standing by large three tier purple and blue cake that sat on a large metal cart.

“What is this?” Kai asked with a smile.

Kyo smiled. “We’re celebrating in honor of your bonding. Congratulations, to the both of you.”

“Let’s have some cake!” Uruha shouted making everyone laugh. Kyo sliced the first pieces and gave them to Reita and Kai. The two sat at the front where Kyo and Shinya normally sat on the cushioned pillows. Ruki and Uruha sat up with them along with Koichi, Mia, and Hitsugi. Everyone got a slice of cake and settle down. Kyo and Shinya sat on the statue as others sat around them.

“Oh man, Tsuzuku is missing everything.” Mia said shaking his head.

“Where the hell is he?” Uruha said. “Kyo is seriously pissed off at him right now. He knows how important this celebration is.”

“I wonder if he met up that guy tonight.” Reita hummed.

“What guy?” Ruki and Kai both asked.

“Nobody.” Koichi said. “That fucker left remember.”

“Let’s not talk about that now.” Mia said happily. “We haven’t had a party this big since Shinya announced he was pregnant.”

“Right? That was years ago.” Hitsugi stated. Reita froze as they kept talking. He swallowed quickly.

“Wait, wait, wait...” The blonde waved his hand. “What do you mean Shinya’s pregnant?”

They all looked at each realizing Reita wasn’t here at that time. Kai gripped his mate’s hand.

“He’s not pregnant. Not anymore. And he won’t ever be again.”

“Did something happen?” The blonde asked and they all looked down.

Uruha gave a sad smile. “Yes. It happened a while ago. He lost the child.”

Reita could tell they didn’t want to talk about it, but he really wanted know. “What happened? There’s obviously a story behind this.”

Kai sighed. “Yes there is. It was about three years ago. Shinya was, if I remember correctly, six months pregnant and a war started between our pack and Hiro’s pack.”


	18. Three Years Ago

            Shinya smiled happily as he threw fish food into the river. He watched as the fish ate the food under the bridge. He rubbed his bulging belly as he threw the last of the feed out and tossed the bag into the trashcan. He looked up and found Kyo walking up to him holding two ice-cream cones. Shinya happily took the vanilla one as Kyo ate the strawberry one. They held hands as they walked to the bench on the bridge. Kyo reached over and rubbed Shinya’s belly with a smile.

“How about Chikako?” Kyo said and Shinya laughed. “What you don’t like it?”

“I was thinking maybe Ayano.”

Kyo gave him a funny face before licking his ice-cream. “Or Asuka.”

“Hmm…how about Aya?” Shinya asked.

Kyo smiled. “That’s cute. I like it.”

“Yeah?” Shinya asked his mate nodded. He rubbed his belly. “You hear that, your name is Aya.”

“Oh!” Kyo gasped. “She kicked!”

Shinya laughed. “She likes when her father is around.”

Kyo reached over and kissed Shinya on the lips. They sat there eating their ice cream and watching as the people walked by. As they finished their snack Shinya yawned and Kyo gripped his hand. The pregnancy was tough for Shinya and he tired out easily. Any male carrier would go through the same thing. As they walked down from the bridge they spotted Kaoru standing up from a bench he had been sitting on. The alpha made sure to go everywhere Shinya went just in case anything happened and Kyo had to leave. He made sure to give them plenty of distance, but close enough he could react. As they started walking, Toshiya and Byou came out of their look outs to follow them back home.

            They made it home within the hour and Shinya made a beeline to his bed and laid down to rest. He was stating to doze off when the door opened up. Byou smiled as he walked in. He sat on the bed and rubbed Shinya’s forehead.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tell Kyo I’m fine.” Shinya laughed.

“He’s just worried. It’s natural. This is your first child so he’s going to be freaking about everything. Just think about how he’s going to react when you go into labor.” They laughed picturing the scene. Shinya yawned and Byou patted his shoulder. “I’ll let you rest.”

“Thanks.” Shinya whispered. He was out like a light before Byou even reached the door.

            Kyo was sitting in his spot as the alphas surrounded him. Toshiya was talking as Byou walked up and sat with them.

“They’re moving closer every day. We need to act now.” Toshiya said. “We need to strike before they strike us.”

“They haven’t crossed the border we established four months ago.” Kaoru said. “If we attack _we_ breach the agreement.”

Toshiya growled at Kaoru who remained cool headed. Kyo sighed. “Quiet. Kaoru’s right we can’t act unless they come into our territory.”

“Mama!” Two young pups shouted as they ran up to Melody and hugged her.

“Jewelie, Lovelie, what are you two doing? You know not to bother us when were gathered in a meeting” Melody said hugging them. Miyavi ran up to them with a worried expression.

“Sorry! I got distracted.” Miyavi said picking up his daughters. Melody gave him a stern look.

“Miyavi, watch them better.” Melody snapped, but smiled at her pups. “Go play with daddy. When I’m done I’ll join you.”

The girls giggled as their dad carried them away. They were laughing, “We got daddy in trouble.”

Melody turned smiling getting glared by the alphas, but she gave them a look that said ‘I’ll do whatever the hell I want, don’t you dare give me that look. I’ll whip your ass in front of all your friends’. Kyo smirked at her and smiled at the two girls playing with their father.

“Kyo.” Kaoru spoke bringing him back to the conversation.

“We’ll keep an eye out for them. Any sign that they’re moving on our turf, we’ll take action then. For now we’ll just stay alert. That’s all.” He stood up dismissing them and headed towards his bedroom. He slipped inside and saw the lump on his bed. He smiled happily as slowly climbed on the bed. He laid next to Shinya and pulled him into a hug. He took a deep breath and smelled the scent of cherry blossoms. He buried his face in Shinya’s neck and kissed his neck. Shinya let out a soft gasp feeling his body start to float.

It was only a few days later when Kai, Hitsugi, Ruki, and Nao walked to the café. They found something odd with the door. Kai made them stay back as pushed the door open. He and Ruki stepped inside sniffing the room and it smelt of wolves from a different pack. Kai looked around, but found nothing out of place. There was something there though. Kai walked towards the counter when a brown wolf jumped over and attacked him. He lifted his arm up and the wolf bit down on it. He cried out as another ran around the counter and started tearing at his leg. Ruki was quick to change and jump on them. Hitsugi and Nao changed to help, but as soon as they found themselves out numbered the two attacking wolves bolted from the café. Kai groaned gripping his arm as Nao wrapped a cloth around his leg. Ruki was quick to call Kyo and inform of the situation.

            The next day, Melody and Miyavi decided to take their daughters out for a day at the park. Melody held Lovelie’s hand and Miyavi carried Jewelie in his arms as they walked down the side walk to the park. The girls cheered as they walked through the opening. Miyavi sat his youngest child down so her and her sister could take off. They laughed as their daughters ran with their short legs. Melody held Miyavi’s hand as they walked around the playground watching their daughters. Miyavi leaned in and kissed his mate’s cheek and she smiled.

            As they flirted with each other, their noses picked up a strange scent. They looked around to find they were the only ones in the park, but they had a bad feeling. Melody looked at her daughters.

“Girls, come here.” She ordered walking towards them. The two children groaned as they started towards their mother. Miyavi kept watch as his mate gathered their children. He looked into the bush near them and started towards his family. Melody reached her daughters and picked Jewelie up in her arms. Miyavi rushed over to pick Lovelie up, but as he got close a brown wolf jumped from the bush. Miyavi changed his direction to block the wolf from his family. He growled changing into own wolf form. He charged forward and fought the wolf back. Melody moved her children to a small tube and told them to stay quiet. She ran to help her mate and changed her form. Miyavi whimpered as the larger wolf slammed him down and bit into his neck.

            Melody howled out calling out for help. She growled and charged forward tackling the alpha off her mate. Miyavi whimpered as he moved to get up to his feet. His front paw had been injured. He limped for a minute, but sucked it up and charged forward to help. He jumped up over them and onto the enemy wolf. Melody shot up and bit on the wolf’s neck. As she did, another wolf jumped from the bush and snapped at Miyavi’s neck. It dragged him off and started jerking his head side to side. Miyavi cried out in pain. Melody whimpered sensing her mate in trouble, but she had to focus on the wolf in front of her.

            The brown wolf growled and darted to the side and she watched him go around her thinking he was retreating, but then she saw his charging to her daughters. They were peeking their heads out of the tube. She whimpered as she charged after him. He was too far ahead. She felt her stomach twist when she realized she wouldn’t make it in time. Suddenly a grey wolf tackled him to the ground and another joined. They both started tearing him apart. Melody was relieved to see Toshiya and Kaoru fighting off the wolf. She looked behind her to find Ruki and Kyo helping Miyavi and attacking the enemy wolf.

            Uruha was in his human form along with Shou as they ran to the girls. They picked them up and ran with them to get them to safety. Melody watched as they ran to Byou and Hitsugi, who were in their wolf forms, and they ran off. She limped to her mate who was laying on the ground covered in blood. She looked over to see Toshiya and Kaoru covered in blood and the enemy wolf lying dead on the ground. Kyo snapped the neck of the wolf in his jaws. He dropped the body and looked at them.

            Kyo and the other alphas stormed in with Miyavi on Kaoru’s back and Melody was leaning on Toshiya. Their daughters were sitting on the statue being checked by Byou. Kaoru laid Miyavi down and Melody sat next to him. Shinya waddled over and carefully sat next to them. Hiroto brought over supplies to help clean up their wounds and Byou walked over to assist with Melody’s injuries. Shinya wrapped Miyavi’s neck up and moved to work on his arm.

“Lovelie…Jewelie…Mel…Melody.” He whimpered out opening his eyes.

“We’re fine.” Melody said rubbing her mate’s face. She rubbed his shoulder and started pushing soft wave of pressure into his body. He relaxed and closed his eyes. She sniffled. She looked up as saw Kyo playing with her daughters keeping them distracted.

A week later Miyavi and Melody watched their daughters get on a bus with Melody’s mother. She waved keeping a smile on her face. It wasn’t until they were gone that she and Miyavi cried their hearts out. The attack had crossed the line. Kyo gathered his pack together after that.

“These attacks were attacks against all of us. This means war. We will not stand by and wait for them to attack us again.” Kyo announced and the pack howled. “We’re going to end this now.”

He jumped off the statue and walked to his mate. He rubbed Shinya’s cheek. The beta sniffled. “Please don’t do this.”

“I have to. You’ll be safe here. Byou, Uruha, and Hiroto will stay to watch over you.”

“Kyo…”He whimpered. “Please, stay here with me.”

“You know I can’t”

Shinya nodded rubbing his head against his mate. “Be safe.”

Kyo kissed his mate’s lips before moving down to kiss his stomach. “Don’t give your papa a hard time. I love you, Aya.” He moved up and gave Shinya another kiss. “I love you.”

“Kaoru.” Shinya called the alpha and he walked to them. “Keep my mate safe.”

Kaoru nodded. “I’ll look after him.”

“We’re moving out!” Kyo shouted. They watched him change into his black and brown form before following his lead and changing in their wolf forms as well. Shinya watched as the pack headed out of the factory. Byou grabbed his shoulders.

“You need to sit and rest. We don’t need you getting too stressed out.”

            Kyo led the charge through the night as they moved through the city undetected. He ran to the border and growled as he approached the area. It wasn’t long before they were approaching the neighboring pack in front of an abandoned building. Their numbers were even. They growled as Kyo stepped forward and waited for the opposing pack leader to come forward. Instead one of the alphas did.

“What are you doing here?” The alpha growled.

Kyo snapped. “You started this. You attacked us first.”

“So it comes to this then?” the alpha growled. “Are you sure you want to fight this war? It’ll be better for you if you just leave.”

Kyo growled as his pack growled behind him. The two packs started growling and snapping at each other until finally the alpha jumped into the air to attack Kyo. The two packs suddenly charged at each other. They snapped and bit each other. Blood splattered the ground as they ripped at each other’s skin.

            Shinya gripped his chest and shook with worry. He felt his mate’s anger. Byou sit next to him and held his shoulders to calm him down. Shinya rubbed his belly as he felt his daughter kicking.

“You need to stay calm.” Byou said. “Kyo will be okay.”

“I know, but he’s fighting right now.”

Uruha ran in gasping for air. “We have company. Three wolves.”

Byou stood and helped Shinya stand up. “Uruha, get Shinya out of here through the back. Hiroto and I will hold them off.”

“No, Byou.” Shinya gasped.

“Go now!”

Uruha gently grabbed the beta and started pulling him away. They could only go so fast because his pregnancy won’t allow him to change his form. Uruha kept watch behind him as they moved down the halls to the back exit.

            Byou and Hiroto changed into their grey wolf forms as the factory door was being banged. They heard the lock break and the door slam open. Three brown wolves charged inside growling at them. They charged the two wolves and attacked. Byou and Hiroto fought back as one slipped passed and charged down the hall. Byou howled, warning Uruha of the oncoming threat.

            The two had just got out of the factory and Uruha pulled Shinya towards the gate. He unlocked the chain and opened it up to the road. They took two steps out to find two wolves waiting for them. Before Uruha could react the brown wolf from inside charged up and tackled him to the ground biting into his shoulder. Uruha cried out in pain, but quickly changed into his reddish-brown form and fought back.

            Ruki gasped feeling his mate’s fear. He paused for a moment knowing Uruha was in danger. His urge to go to his mate was pulling for him to leave this fight. He snapped back at the wolf in front of him and tackled him to the ground. He caught sight of Kyo taking off after one of the alphas and Kaoru was soon chasing after him.

            Shinya gasped and turned to run, but one of the wolves ran in front of him cutting him off. He wrapped his arms around his stomach to try and protect it. He turned and ran as fast as he could down the road. His only priority was to protect his child. He could hear the wolves running up behind him. The wolf jumped onto his back and bit his arm. Shinya cried out as he fell forward, but he turned to fall on his side. He slammed his head into the pavement, but his stomach was safe at least until it started cramping. He cried out in pain turning on his back. The wolf that tackled him bit down on his arm again as the second wolf approached changing into his human form. Hiro smiled as he knelt down he poked Shinya’s stomach making him whimper out.

            Kyo froze feeling his mate’s distress. He turned to run, but was cut off by another wolf. He looked around to see himself surrounded by three wolves. He fell right into a trap. He growled as they all attacked him at once. He bit back as they ripped their teeth into his body. He gasped feeling Shinya’s fear fill his body. Kaoru didn’t waste a second diving into the wolf pile and tearing one off his leader. He snapped pushing them away. Within seconds other members of their pack charged in and fought the enemy wolves. Kaoru licked Kyo’s snout who raised his head before forcing his body up.

“I have to get to Shinya.” He gasped out.

            Shinya whimpered out as his stomach contracted. Hiro smiled as he dug his nails into the bulging stomach making the beta cry out. Hiro smiled before changing into his white and grey form. He sniffed Shinya’s stomach.

“Please. Shinya cried, “Not my child.”

Hiro growled before biting down into Shinya’s stomach. The beta screamed out as the wolf dug his snout into his stomach.

            Kyo gasped as he collapsed forward. He whimpered feeling the intense pain his mate was going through. He gasped realizing his child was in danger. He jumped to his feet and took off as fast as he could with his pack following close behind him.

“Shinya…” He cried.

            Shinya cried out feeling something being pulled out. He looked up and his face twisted. All he saw was Hiro’s mouth holding his still child in his bloody mouth. Shinya screamed out and started gasping for air before his eyes rolled up. He fell limp on the concrete, his blood pooling around his body.

            Kyo ran as fast and as hard as he could. They ran through the city not caring to be seen by normal humans. They saw the factory and ran through the opened gate and inside. Miyavi and IV immediately help take down the two wolves inside. Kyo growled looking around.

“Shinya!” He called.

“He and Uruha ran to escape through the back.” Byou gasped.

Kyo and Ruki both took off to the back with Kaoru and Kai close behind. They ran through the halls and out the back door. They saw the gate and charged to it. Ruki gasped seeing his mate bloody laying on the ground. He quickly sat by him and started nuzzling him. Uruha lifted his head, but dropped it back to the ground too weak to move. Kyo changed to his human form. He stumbled to his mate’s body. Kyo’s body was covered in blood and wounds, but he ignored them all as he dropped next to Shinya’s body. He lifted the blonde’s head.

“Shinya…no…” He whimpered and looked over at the awful bloody sight. He cried out as it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He gasped for air, but couldn’t seem to catch a breath. Kaoru sat next to him and placed his hand on Kyo’s shoulder. The leader’s eyes closed as he fell to his side. Toshiya ran to Shinya’s side and the sight tore at his heart, but he checked Shinya’s pulse.

“He’s still alive!” He shouted. He carefully picked the limp body. Kaoru did the same to their leader. Ruki waited for Uruha to return his human form before picking up his bloody body.

            Kaoru stormed into the hospital with Toshiya and Ruki close behind carrying their injured. He walked straight to the desk shocking the nurse. Kaoru snapped at her.

“Toshi. Get doctor Toshi!” He gasped. Nurses had quickly pulled out gurneys to lie the injured on them. As Kaoru laid Kyo down he stirred and glanced around.

“Shinya…” He gasped.

“We’re getting you guys help.”

“Save Shinya. Save h…” Kyo gasped fainting again. The nurses stopped them from following the gurney and forced them sit in the waiting room.

            Everyone back at the factory were helping each other bandage up their wounds. Byou shook as he wrapped up Kai’s bite marks. The alpha grabbed Byou’s shaking hand.

“They’ll be okay.”

“I should have went with him. If I had…” Byou whimpered.

“It’s not your fault you did what you thought was right. You didn’t know there was more back there.”

“If Shinya dies—”

“He won’t. All of them will be okay.” Kai said pulling his friend into a hug. “They’ll be okay.”

            They had been waiting for hours in the hospital room. After they had got into the hospital, the nurses forced them to the back to get their wounds treated as well. Ruki hissed rubbing his chest as they sat in the waiting room. He gasped in fear as he felt his mate confused and alone. Finally the door opened up and a familiar face appeared before them. Toshi looked at them as they walked up to him.

“How are they?” Toshiya asked.

The doctor sighed. “I got news that Uruha is out of surgery. Minor wounds, but he did lose a lot of blood. They’ll be keeping him under observation overnight. I finished Kyo’s surgery. He’ll live, but he shouldn’t move around for a couple of days and he’ll be here for at least a week. The injury to side was serious. It ripped some muscle tissue and damaged his lung. He’ll make a full recovery so don’t worry.”

“And Shinya?” Kaoru asked.

Toshi sighed. “He’s still in surgery. When I last checked…it doesn’t look good. He’s lost so much blood and the trauma…they don’t think he’ll live.”

“What…no…”Toshiya gasped.

“I’m going in to assist them. See what damage I can repair, but be prepared that he may pass.”

“You have to save him Toshi.” Ruki gasped. “Kyo won’t survive if you don’t.”

“I’ll try.” He said and left them alone.

            The factory doors opened and everyone sat up and watched as the gloomy trio walked in. It was five in the morning as they walked into the foyer and everyone quickly gathered around them asking questions all at once.

“Shut up!” Kaoru screamed. He took a deep breath. “Uruha and Kyo will both make a full recovery. Uruha will be home tomorrow. Kyo has to stay for a few days for observation.”

“What about Shinya?” Byou asked as he started to cry. “Please don’t tell me he didn’t make it.”

“He made it through his surgery. However…the doctors think he may not make it through the night.” Kaoru said and everyone gasped. They started tearing up. “He’s strong. He’ll pull through, but he’ll need our support you guys. I think it’s obvious to you what happened. Kyo and Shinya lost their child. Shinya may not be able to have children in the future. Toshi said he was severely damaged and he may not recover.”

He watched over the pack and sighed. “I called Yoshiki and informed him of what happened. He and his pack will be here in a couple of days to help us out. Tomorrow you’ll get the factory clean up and ready. We’ll be going back to the hospital. Until then, let us rest.”

Kaoru watched over everyone as they drifted off to sleep. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He wouldn’t sleep a wink that night.

             Shinya opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the white room he was in. He rubbed his head and looked around. He found Kyo sitting in a wheelchair next to him, but he was looking out the window. Shinya rubbed his hand down his stomach and found it flatter than before. He looked down and found his bulge gone. He started gasping for air and shaking. Kyo turned at the sound and moved his chair closer. He pressed the call button. He grabbed Shinya’s hands before he could rip his stitches.

“Shinya, Shinya calm down.” Kyo ordered.

The blonde looked at him with teary eyes. “Where’s my child?”

Kyo looked away and Shinya cried out. Nurses ran into the room to try and calm him down, but ended up injecting him with a sedative. Kyo broke down by the bedside and dropped onto the mattress. Kaoru had watched the heartbreaking scene from the doorway. Tears filled his eyes as the familiar pain filled his chest. He couldn’t stand seeing his friends in such pain. He walked in and placed a hand on Kyo’s back.

“I understand Kyo. Just let it out.” He said. Kyo cried harder letting out all his emotions. Kaoru looked over at Shinya’s silent relaxed body. “I’m here for you guys.”

            It was another week before Shinya was able to wake up without needing to be sedated. Kyo had been released, but he refused to leave Shinya’s side. They were grieving and Shinya didn’t want to be touched. Not even by Kyo. Kaoru would visit often and tried to talk to them, but it didn’t seem to work. Finally one day when he came in to talk to them and found Kyo holding Shinya’s hand. The blonde had been crying, but he seemed to have calmed down. At that point, Kaoru knew everything would work out.

            Another week went by before Shinya was released from the hospital and when he came home he was greeted by the whole pack. That night they all mourned together, but they knew they would get through this hard time. Yoshiki had gotten intel on Hiro’s pack and found out that half of his pack had been wiped out by Kyo’s and was retreating to his side of the city. They had buried their daughter at the nearby cemetery. Shinya and Kyo sat at her grave for that night only and never returned to it. It was just too painful.


	19. Search...

            Toshiya sniffed the air around him and walked up into the salon. It was packed with customers, but he noticed Tsuzuku wasn’t there. He was worried.

“Toshiya.” The blue haired woman smiled.

He nodded his head. “Tsuzuku isn’t here today is he?”

She shook her head. “He hasn’t come in two days. We’re getting worried because usually lets us know when he won’t be in.”

Toshiya nodded. “We haven’t seen him either.”

“Do you think he’s missing?”

“I…I hope not. Do you know anyone who came to see him?”

She hummed and her eyes grew wide. “Yeah, there was this customer, real touchy with Tsuzuku, but he liked the guy so we didn’t think anything about it. Then not too long ago the guy stopped showing up. We think they broke up. We haven’t seen the guy since.”

“Thanks.” He said before nodding and walking out. He sighed looking up at the sky. “Where the hell are you, Tsuzuku?”

            Reita looked around the forest in his inner soul. He looked over at the tree to see his white wolf laying in its usual spot, but this time Kai’s inner wolf was lying next it. Reita looked down at the yellow string around his hand and followed it as it disappeared into the tree line. The black wolf had a similar string around its neck that wrapped around the white wolf’s neck as well. Reita walked up to them and the black wolf looked up at him. He sat in front of them and smiled. He reached his hand out, but chain shot up and gripped his wrist. Another chain shot out and grabbed his neck pulling him back. He landed on the ground and the black wolf stood up alert.

            Reita was staring up right at Dogma’s face. He smiled as he knelt down to look closer the blonde. The black wolf growled, but Dogma flicked his wrist and black spikes shut up from the ground. Before Reita could react shackles clasped his other limbs rendering him immobile. Dogma pressed his hand on Reita’s cheek before showing a syringe in his other hand. Reita watched him move down and he felt a prick in his neck.

“What are you giving me?” Reita gasped.

“You can’t fight if you go into heat.”

“Please stop.” Reita whimpered. “You’re not my master. You’re not my alpha.”

“You will always belong to me.”

“No!” Reita shouted pulling at his restraints. Dogma laughed as he stuck Reita with another needle then another. The blonde tugged and pulled. The black wolf bit into the spikes trying to break them, but was pushed back. Dogma laughed tugging at Reita’s hair. Reita jerked his head to the side bit down onto Dogma’s hand. He growled yanking his hand out and stepping back. Reita tugged at the restraints breaking them. He stood up and faced the shocked Dogma.

“I will not be controlled by you ever again!” Reita shouted.

Dogma smiled. “We’ll see about that.”

            Reita opened his eyes and found himself back in the factory. He was sitting in his and Kai’s private room. He took a shaky breath before standing up and pulling a shirt on. He looked outside the window at the lowering sun. He left the room and headed down to the foyer. The only ones there was Tora and Shinya. The rest were either out working or searching for Tsuzuku. Reita wanted to be out searching for his friend, but Kyo wouldn’t allow him or Shinya to leave the factory. It was frustrating Reita to no end. He couldn’t stand being in there anymore while his friend is missing.

            Ryoga stood in his apartment looking at his packed bags. He’s been staring at them for days now. The night he argued with Tsuzuku, he packed his things and was determined to leave. However every time he stepped out his door, he would think of the omega and stopped. He couldn’t leave without apologizing to his mate. And that was the thought that had stopped for days. He was calling Tsuzuku his mate without even realizing it. He was supposed to be a lone wolf and he was fighting with his instincts to mate. He sighed giving into his heart and throwing his things to the side. He walked out of his apartment with the intention of speaking to Tsuzuku one more time.

            Ryoga walked down to the salon and took a deep breath as he walked in. He looked around to see his target missing. He couldn’t smell the omega either. He heard a gasp and looked up to see one of the hairdresser. She marched up to him with a scowl.

“Where is he?”

“Whoa, where’s who?” Ryoga asked in shock.

“Where’s Tsuzuku?”

“I don’t know. I came here to talk to him. He’s missing?” Ryoga asked his body suddenly filling with fear. The woman shook her head and he didn’t wait to bolt out the door. He started sniffing the air around him trying to pick a scent. He fell to his hands and knees sniffing the ground not caring who gave him odd looks. He found a faint scent towards the alleyway. He moved around it sniffing the air and objects around him. He went up to the dumpster and opened it up. He ignored the garbage smell and pinpointed the peach scent he was looking for. He picked up a jacket and sniffed it. It was Tsuzuku’s.

            Reita paced the room as the pack had started returning home. He happily greeted his mate at the entrance and others hoping they had news of their missing member, but they came up short handed. The blonde was sad and Kai felt this. He tried comforting Reita, but the blonde was worried. Koichi felt the same. Kyo had called a meeting with alphas and they gathered in front of the foyer. As they did Koichi glared at Aoi who was sitting alone against the wall. Reita saw the pink head stomping towards the omega and ran to intercept him. He stopped Koichi in his tracks.

“Calm down.” Reita said. “It’s not his fault.”

“Hiro said he would target the omegas if Aoi didn’t go back. Hiro has to have him.”

“We don’t know that.” Reita said gripping his arm. “We don’t know anything yet.”

Koichi clenched his fists and walked away.

            Kyo sighed hearing that they hadn’t found any clues to Tsuzuku’s disappearance that was until Toshiya spoke up about this mysterious man the omega had been seeing. Hearing this Ruki and Kai’s ear perked up when they remembered Reita talking about the same thing. They looked at each other and decided to remain quiet. No need risking getting their mates in trouble with something they had already figured out. Kyo stood up and an ordered them to focus their searches for the mysterious man while Yoshiki’s pack would focus on searching for Tsuzuku the next day.

            Ryoga snuck around quietly in the dark alley. The sun had fallen hours ago and the alpha had ventured into the other side of the city. He knew there was another pack here, but tried to avoid it after hearing the rumors around the area. He took his time marking areas so he wouldn’t get lost on his way back. He slipped through a gate and smelled the air. He could faintly pick up Tsuzuku’s scent. He followed the trail to an abandoned building on a desolate road. He spotted guards walking the area. He had to be careful.

            Another two days passed and Kyo was growling to himself as he glared at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep a wink that night. Just the thought of having one of his omegas missing was painful enough, but actually having it happen was unbearable. However he couldn’t risk losing anymore of his pack. He ordered the search to end for now. His next plan was to send a message out to Hiro and arrange a meeting. He needed to know if Hiro had his omega and how to get him back. He feared his only alternative would be to trade Aoi for him. He knew Kaoru would never allow that to happen.

            He pressed his lips on Shinya’s head before stepping out of the room. As he walked out he noticed everyone sleeping in the foyer. Everyone except Aoi. The omega was sitting in the hallway at the entrance. Kyo looked over to see Kaoru fast asleep on his own futon before he walked over. He sat next to Aoi startling him, but he relaxed. Kyo glanced at him.

“What are you thinking about?” Kyo asked in a hushed tone.

Aoi bit his lip and closed his eyes. “I should go back. You’re in danger because of me.”

Kyo was genuinely surprised that the omega finally spoke to him. He sighed. “You could go back, but it wouldn’t change anything. Our packs have a dark history with each other. Something like this was bound to happen eventually whether you were here or not.”

Aoi nodded his head. He opened his mouth, but closed it and looked down. Kyo saw him hesitating to speak, but he wouldn’t push the omega. It was his decision whether to stay or return to Hiro and Kyo couldn’t stop him.

            They were startled by a loud banging on the door. Kyo quickly jumped to his feet and Aoi stood up, but was pushed back. Another round of bangs hit the door which at this point had awoken half the foyer. Kaoru opened his eyes at the noise and notice Aoi gone from his grasp. He sat up quickly to find the raven with Kyo at the entrance. Another bang sounded and the alphas stood up. Kyo looked at Aoi silently telling him to back up. He walked down the corridor to the door and released the latch. He prepared to defend himself as he opened the door, but was shocked at the sight in front of him. A taller man with blonde hair stood gasping for air. His body was covered in blood and wounds. It only took a second for Kyo to realize this man was an alpha. In his hand he held a black jacket. Tsuzuku’s jacket.

The man gasped. “Please…save him.”

The man’s eyes closed as he fell forward, but Kyo reached out and caught his body. Byou had ran forward along with Toshiya to take the man from Kyo’s arms and drag him inside.

            The whole pack was awake at this point and waiting for some answers. It was about an hour before Shinya and Byou walked out one of the healing rooms on the first floor. As they stepped out Kyo walked up to his mate.

Shinya sighed. “He’s resting. His body is covered in bite wounds. Nothing too serious.”

“Can I wake him up?” Kyo asked.

“Even if I said no, you’ll still do it.” The beta mumbled. His mate ignored the comment and walked inside to find the man sleeping on the floor covered in bandages. Kaoru slipped inside as well and they walked to the sleeping man. Kyo kicked his arm making his groan and kicked him again. The man hissed waking up. He sat up rubbing his arm and glared up at the pack leader. Kyo held no remorse in his coldblooded stare.

“Where is Tsuzuku?” He asked.

“You must be Kyo. And this grouch is either Kaoru or Toshiya.” He said waiting for a reaction but got none. He smirked. “You’re Kaoru. Tsu talked a lot about you all.”

“I won’t ask again.” Kyo growled sending pressure onto the wolf, but he seemed unaffected.

He stared up at Kyo. “Will you…save him?” He whispered. “I tried, but I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t save him.”

Kyo and Kaoru looked at each other before they knelt down. “You know where he is?”

“I have an idea of where he’s being held. On the other side of the city are some abandoned building, but only one has people in it. I managed to get inside the building, but I couldn’t fight off the wolves inside.”

Kyo sighed. “How do you know he was there then?”

“I smelt him.” The blonde said. “My specialty is tracking and he was in there. I know he was.”

“You can get us to him?” Kaoru asked.

The man shook his head. “I can.”

Kyo sighed and closed his eyes. “We’re not going for him.”

“What?”

They turned to see Reita, Koichi, and Uruha peeking their heads in the door way. Koichi stepped forward. “What do you mean you won’t go get him? He’s one of your pack.”

“I have my reasons” Kyo said. “I won’t repeat past mistakes and charge headfirst into something. I will meet with Hiro and discuss an agreement to get him back.”

“You can’t!” Koichi snapped and Kyo growled.

“You’re out of line.”

Reita pulled Koichi back and away from the room. The blonde hair man clenched his fists. “If you won’t go after him, then I’ll try again on my own.”

Kaoru sighed, but Kyo glared at the man. “Do as you wish, but you better make it clear that you are not one of us. I’ll let you rest for a little in return for the information you provided but I want you gone by morning.”

The alpha moved to get up, but was pushed down by Kaoru. “Rest first.”

            The two stepped out of the room to find the pack glaring, but none of them said anything. Kyo snapped ordering everyone back to sleep. Reita had snuggled up against Kai, but he couldn’t sleep. It was obvious that some others couldn’t either. Reita spotted Koichi getting up from his spot and sneaking to the healing room. Reita slowly pulled from Kai’s arms and kissed his head. He sent a reassuring feeling into his mate before walking to join the pink haired man. Koichi took a deep breath looking at the door. He jumped when Reita gripped his shoulder.

            Koichi sighed in relief seeing it was only the omega. “You scared me.”

“Sorry, what are you doing?” Reita whispered.

“I’m going with him. I have to try and get Tsuzuku back.”

“Koichi, you can’t.” Reita said softly. “Kyo said not to.”

“Kyo isn’t my pack leader. Besides you don’t get it. Tsu and I have been through so much. He saved my life once before. I can’t stand by when I know I can help.” Koichi said looked at the door. He reached and opened it up. A dim light showed the form that was sitting up. The blonde looked up at them as they slipped into the room and shut the door.

They stood for a moment before sitting. “I’m Koichi, and this is Reita. If you’re going after Tsuzuku, I’m going too.”

“I’m, Ryoga.” He said slipping his shirt on. “If we go we need a plan. My way didn’t exactly work.”

“I have an idea.” Reita whispered standing up and he slipped out the door. They waited for minute before the blonde appeared slipping into the room. He sighed looked down as Aoi walked in, but behind him was a glaring Kaoru.

“Rei!” Koichi snapped.

“Sorry! I tried waking Aoi alone, but Kaoru saw.”

“What is going on here?” The alpha whispered closing the door.

“I’m leaving.” Ryoga said standing up. “I’m going to try again.”

“Koichi and I are going to help him.” Reita said shocking them all.

Kaoru glared at him. “You will do no such thing.”

“I won’t stand by any longer. I’m going to help my family. Kaoru I can take care of myself. I’m not going to sit and wait any longer while others search for him.”

He let out a deep breath. “And why were you bringing Aoi into this?”

“I just wanted to see if he knew where we could get into Hiro’s place easily” Reita said. “I wasn’t going to take him.”

Aoi looked at them all and bit his lip. He rubbed his arm. “I want to help. It’s my fault Hiro took Tsuzuku. I should help get him back.”

Kaoru grabbed the omega’s shoulders. “What, no. You’re not going back there.”

“I am.” Aoi whispered. “I have to.”

The alpha closed his eyes. “You’re not going alone.”

“Kaoru?” Koichi asked.

“Someone has to look over you guys. And Kyo would flip you went out without an alpha with you.”

“He’s going to flip out either way.” Koichi said. “Yoshiki will be even worse.”

“If we’re done talking.” Ryoga said standing up. “Let’s go get Tsuzuku.”

            They had to be careful slipping out of the room. Kaoru had scanned the foyer making sure everyone was sleeping before he guided them to the door. They carefully opened it and slipped outside. They looked at the snowflakes falling slowly to the ground. Ryoga lead them towards the gate and they slipped outside. Kaoru stopped in his tracks and sighed. Busted.

“Where are you guys going?”

The group jumped and turned to see Toshiya standing outside the gate. He had decided to go out on watch and Kaoru had completely forgotten. Koichi stepped forward with a scowl.

“Bringing our friend home.”

Toshiya walked up and glared at Kaoru. “You’re letting them do this? Kaoru are you crazy. Kyo will have your asses.”

“We’ll he can have them once we get Tsuzuku back.” Reita said.

Toshiya shook his head. “Do you know how much pain you’re going to bring to Kai by doing this?”

“We’re going.” Koichi said. “Go ahead and stop us if you want to. I’ll never forgive you for it.”

Toshiya sighed and looked at Kaoru. “It would be irresponsible of me to let you go. That’s why I’m going with you.” They stood wide eyed at him. “What? You guys are shocked by this? I’m surprised that Kaoru is doing something this stupid. Typically I’m the one that does this shit.”

            After that was settled the group headed into town. The crowd was lively as they head downtown and towards the border. Aoi took the lead sniffing around and guiding them into the territory. They slipped in and out of alleys, around buildings, and through a busy street. Aoi guided them along a street down the road to the emptier part of town. He shook as the saw the abandon building and stepped back. He looked sadly at them. Kaoru pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’m scared.” He whispered.

“I’ll protect you.” Kaoru said.

Reita gripped Aoi’s hand. “We won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll all go home together after this.”

Aoi nodded before swallowing hard and walking down the sidewalk away from the building. They trusted him and followed close behind. They crossed the street a few blocks down and started jumping fences. They crossed some backyards before coming up to huge empty field and in front of it was the building. Aoi got on his hands and knees to crawl across the field. The group did the same until they reached a large grate. Aoi unlatched it and opened it. They all slipped inside and carefully closed it.

            They walked silently in the tunnel afraid of causing an echo. They made it to the end of it and looked out to see another empty tunnel. Aoi led them to the left and down it to a grate in the ceiling.

“How are we going to get up there?” Toshiya asked.

“I’ll lift you up.” Kaoru said. He placed his hands together and the other alpha rolled his eyes before stepping his palms. Kaoru lifted him and the other grabbed him to hold him in the air. He worked on unclasping the grate it was opened with in seconds. He reached inside and pulled himself up. Reita was lifted next, then Aoi, followed by Koichi, then Ryoga. Toshiya and Ryoga reached down as Kaoru jumped in the air, barely catching their hands. They lifted him inside before shutting the grate.

            This tube was too small for them to walk in so they had to travel in a single file line while crawling. Aoi led the way through the tunnels until they reached the end at another grate above their heads. This one they could easily climb out of. They slipped out quietly in the dark room.

“Where are we?” Koichi whispered.

“In the basement.” Aoi answered. They held hands until they reached the door and pushed it open. They could hear people talking nearby. They slipped out quietly and started moving down the lit hall. As they moved closer they could hear loud music playing. They turned the corner to see the hall full of people and they tensed up, but none of them seemed to notice the group that much. Kaoru took a few sniffs and realized they were all normal people. The group relaxed and followed Aoi as he pushed through the crowd. There was a large room nearby throwing a rave which explained all the people. Reita swallowed hard and reached beside him to grab Koichi’s hand. The pink haired man looked over and nodded. They were both scared.

            They moved past the group and Aoi quickly turned pushing his body into Kaoru. The alpha looked up and noticed a door at the end of the hallway with two alpha’s guarding it. He turned before they could recognize him. The smell of the people was helping hide their own scents, but they could still be recognized.

“What do we do?” Koichi asked. “If we go any closer, they’ll recognize you guys.”

Reita gasped and gripped his chest. “Oh shit.”

“What?” Toshiya asked.

“Kai’s awake and he’s freaking out.”

“Relax.” Kaoru said. “They were bound notice eventually. Right now we need to concentrate on what to do.”

Reita nodded. “They don’t know me. I can go up and distract them and you guys knock them out or something.”

“You can’t be serious. No way in hell.” Kaoru said. “We’ll think of something else.”

“No, that’s good.” Koichi said. “They won’t know me either. We can do a little seducing and catch them off guard.”

“I said no.” Kaoru said.

Reita bit his lip and grabbed Koichi’s hand. Before Kaoru could stop them, they walked out of the crowed.

“Shit.” Toshiya snapped.

            The two omegas walked up smiling to the two men who glared at them. Koichi stepped forward.

“First alphas I’ve seen here. Not a bad sight.”

One growled. “Who are you?”

The omega kept his smile as he rubbed his finger on the alpha’s chest. “My brother and I just got into town last night. We were looking for a bit of fun.”

Reita stepped up and pressed his body against the other alpha. “We couldn’t help but notice you guys. Why don’t we disappear for a little bit? We’ll rock your world.”

            Kaoru and Toshiya watched as they slowly started walking forward. Ryoga kept Aoi close behind him as they moved down the hall. The two alphas seemed to have all of their attention on Reita and Koichi. Kaoru watched as one gripped Reita’s ass before opening the door behind them. They slipped inside and started closing the door, but Toshiya and Kaoru darted and pushed the door wide open. The two alphas were shocked, but Ryoga jumped on one wrapping his arms around his neck putting him in a choke hold. Aoi closed the door and locked it as Kaoru and Toshiya took care of the second alpha. Within minutes they had be subdued and tied up.

            Aoi sighed with relief as the other two omega’s high fived each other.

“I can’t believe that actually worked.” Toshiya mumbled. They ended their mini celebration and headed down the hallway. Ryoga took the lead at this point searching for Tsuzuku’s scent. He could smell the scent of peaches nearby. He led the way down the hallway to a door and Aoi whimpered. They looked at him as he hid behind Kaoru’s body.

“What is it? What’s behind there?” Ryoga asked.

“Th-the cages.” He whispered.

“C-cages…” Reita gasped as his body began to shake. Toshiya wrapped his arm around Reita’s body to try and comfort him. Ryoga raised an eyebrow, but opened the door.

            It led to an outside kennel. They were surrounded by a large fence and inside it were a bunch of cages. All of them had a person inside. Reita started to shake at the sight and his breathing shook. He dropped to his knees and hugged himself. Toshiya knelt next to him.

“Hey it’s okay. We’ll be out of here soon.” Toshiya forced the blonde to his feet, but practically had to drag him to keep up with the group. Ryoga took a big whiff of the air and ran down the cages, making the others run after him. He slid to a stop at the front of one. He dropped to his knees and griped the cage door. Inside Tsuzuku laid completely naked and was bruised from head to toe. He bit his lip at the site of the omega’s inner thighs covered in blood.

“Tsu.” Ryoga whimpered. Toshiya had dragged Reita to them and let him drop back to his knees. The alpha walked over to the cage door and pulled out a small pick lock kit. The others stood guard as Toshiya worked on the lock. Reita shivered as he tried to look away from the cages, but no matter where he looked he saw the familiar site of being trapped. His eyes fell onto the cage across from Tsuzuku’s and he gasped. He slowly crawled over to it and gripped the bars.

“Nao?” He whispered. The figure inside looked up.

“R-Reita?” the omega whimpered.

The blonde looked over at the others before crawling back. They heard a click and the door opened up. Ryoga practically pushed Toshiya to the side as he crawled inside. He pulled his own jacket off and wrapped it around Tsuzuku’s body. They helped him pull the brunette out of the cage and wrapped his legs with Kaoru’s jacket as well.

            Reita swallowed hard. “We have to save Nao, too.”

They all looked at him funny, then he pointed at the occupied cage. They looked at other, not knowing what to do. Nao had killed one of their own. He wasn’t a member of their pack anymore. Toshiya groaned as he grabbed his lock pick kit and moved over to the locked cage.

“You’ll be answering for what who’ve done to Takeru.” Toshiya snapped. “I’m not saving you, I’m just making sure you get the punishment you deserve.”

Within seconds the cage door was opened and Nao was dragged out. Toshiya held onto Nao’s arm tightly as Koichi helped Reita up. They started walking to the exit when suddenly a man walked out and smiled at them. They froze.

“Well, well, well what do we have here?” He said as another alpha walked out.

“Hiro. Masashi.” Kaoru growled. Aoi coward behind him and whimpered. “What did you do to Tsuzuku?”

The pack leader laughed. “Isn’t it obvious? I gave him Aoi’s old job.” Aoi sniffled hearing those words and the group started growling as Ryoga tightened his hold on the omega. Hiro smiled. “How do you plan on escaping?”

Toshiya took a deep breath and charged forward slamming his body into the two enemies, throwing them off balance. “Run!”

Kaoru pulled Aoi and led his group past the stunned alphas as Toshiya fought to stand back up. He changed into his wolf form and took off after them and through the crowd of people down the hall. Hiro growled standing back.

“Alert everyone.” He ordered watching them run down the hall.

            “We don’t have time to go through the tunnels!” Ryoga shouted. They ran down the hallway and turned a different direction than the way they came from. They heard a howl alerting the wolf pack they were running.

“Then how do we get out?” Kaoru yelled looking behind him. Toshiya was holding their rear as they ran from any oncoming wolves.

“My way!” Ryoga shouted. “Just stay close to me.”

            They followed him through the hallways, but found themselves deep into the building. Reita gasped calling to Kai on instinct. They turned down a hallway and saw a door with two wolves guarding it. Ryoga stopped and turned suddenly and they were quick to follow them. Kaoru looked back to see the two wolves giving chase. They took another left and saw another door.

“Reita! Get the door.” Ryoga shouted. Reita ran ahead of them and slammed into the door as he turned the handle. He tumbled through it and fell into the snow outside. Ryoga jumped over him as Koichi stopped to help him up. Nao ran out with Kaoru pulling Aoi behind him. Toshiya jumped out and Koichi slammed the door shut. The sun was starting to rise over the horizon and was lighting up the area. They started running out in the open yard when wolves started running out from all directions. They circled the group. The six of them placed their backs together ready to defend themselves. A dark brown wolf charge right at Reita, but before any of them could react a black wolf came out of nowhere and tackled it to the ground.

“Kai?” Reita gasped. The black wolf looked right at him.

‘Run!’ Kai growled out.


	20. ...and Rescue

            Kai woke with a start and looked around when he realized his mate missing. He sat up and looked around the room. His heart pounded as he felt fear flow through his chest. He gasped out and stood up.

“Reita!” He shouted looking around the room. The pack around him groaned as he shouted for his lover again. He screamed out his mate’s name and gripped his chest as another wave of fear went through his body. During his commotion Ruki and Melody woke up. They walked over to him and he pushed them back calling for Reita again. Kyo stormed out of his room with Shinya close behind. Kai looked right at his leader and rushed over. He grabbed Kyo’s shoulders.

“What’s going on?” Kyo asked.

“He’s gone.” Kai gasped. “Reita’s gone. He’s scared. I don’t know why, but he’s scared.”

Kyo looked around the room, sniffing the air. “Kaoru?” When he didn’t get answer he shouted out again. “Kaoru? Aoi?”

Kyo pulled away from Kai and the packs started mumbling to each other. Uruha gripped Ruki’s arm worried about his friend. Kyo opened the door where Ryoga had been in to find it empty. He looked out in the room. Koichi was missing too.

“Ruki.” Kyo shouted. “Go get Toshiya from outside.”

The brunette nodded as he walked out to find the alpha. Yoshiki got up as well as the others and he looked to Kyo who was fuming. He walked up to the shorter leader. “Calm down.”

“They left with that stray after I told them I would handle this differently. I will not be calm.”

“You need to keep a clear head.” Yoshiki warned. “Get angry afterwards.”

“Kyo.” Ruki shouted coming in. “Toshiya’s gone too. You can barely see it, but there are tracks leading away from the factory. It had to be them.”

Kyo rubbed his face and looked around the room and then up at Yoshiki. “I need your help, my friend.”

Yoshiki nodded. “You have it. Just give the orders and my pack will follow you.”

Kyo looked out at everyone. “Get ready. We’re leaving in ten minutes. We’re getting our family back home.”

The members howled at the announcement. Ruki froze and looked over at Uruha. He rushed to his mate who was getting ready with the others. Ruki gripped the honey blonde’s arm. “You’re not going.”

“What? Of course I am. I’m not going to sit by while my family is fighting a battle.” Uruha said.

“Our child is inside you. We can’t risk you getting hurt out there.” Ruki whispered.

“Ruki…I’ll be fine. Those wolves won’t attack my stomach. They won’t know. I’m going to help my family.”

“I’m sorry.” Ruki said. He turned and spoke up. “Kyo. Uruha can’t fight.”

“Ruki!” Uruha gasped.

Kyo sighed. “I know you don’t want your mate out there, but he like everyone else will be needed.”

“Kyo, he cannot go out there!” Ruki shouted. Everyone became quiet as they turned to face him. He looked back at Uruha who glared at him, but the alpha ignored it and looked back at their leader. “He’s carrying my child.”

Kyo’s jaw dropped and the whole room froze. Shinya stepped forward. “Are you sure?”

“I-I don’t know.” The honey blonde mumbled. “I just…I have this feeling is all.”

Kyo sighed. “Can you change into your wolf form?”

“I haven’t tried in a few weeks.” Uruha said.

Shinya stood in front of them. “If you’re pregnant then your body won’t change forms. Try right now.”

Uruha stepped back and concentrated on his body. He tried to force his wolf out but all he could manage was for his nails to change a little before reverting back. He looked up at everyone as Shinya turned to his mate. Kyo nodded. “Ruki, take Uruha outside of the city, to the cabins. I don’t want you anywhere near this fight.”

“Meto, Sugizo.” Yoshiki shouted. “Go with them. We’ll send for you when the fight is over.”

“Kyo…”Uruha shouted, but held back. He sighed. “Please bring everyone home safely.”

The leader nodded. “Go now.”

Uruha put on a shirt and his mate dragged him away to the door. He stopped at the entrance where Sugizo and Meto were waiting. He gripped his mate’s hands. “I have to stay.”

“Ru, no.”

“Don’t worry.” Ruki said kissing his mate. “Nothing will happen to me. I have to look after Kai. He’s not thinking straight with his mate being in danger. Go.”

Sugizo pulled Uruha away and the three of them left. Ruki turned and headed back inside. Kyo walked up to him. “I told you to be with your mate.”

“He’s in good hands. You need me right now.”

            They changed their forms. Some stretched getting used to being in the different skin again. Shinya walked up in his grey wolf form and licked Kyo’s snout. Once Kyo was sure everyone was ready he started trotting out the door. He looked up at the dark sky and saw the glow of the sun in the distance. He picked up his speed and soon the two packs were running through the city back streets avoiding the crowds of people. They were gasping as they ran through the chilly air. Kai felt his mate’s heart racing and felt his own speeding up because of it. He pushed ahead putting himself right behind Kyo and Yoshiki at the front. Melody and Byou both stayed at Shinya’s side as Miyavi ran behind them. Ruki dashed up in the pack to stay by Kai’s side.

            They ran hard for a good fifteen minutes before they reached the other side of the city. They slowed at the sight of the abandoned building. Kyo trotted along the road. They heard wolves howling nearby. Kai felt his mate calling him and he was growing anxious and angry at the same time. Suddenly, he felt something wrong. He darted forward ahead of the pack. Kyo barked at him, but he ignored his leader and the pack took off after him. Kai turned and jumped over a concrete wall. There he spotted his mate and his friends being surrounded. He pushed his legs to go faster when he saw a light brown wolf charging toward Reita. Kai growled as he lunged forward and tackled the wolf to the ground. He looked back at Reita

“Kai?

‘Run!’ He snapped. Reita gasped and nodded just as Kyo’s pack came charging in to attack the surrounding wolves. Kyo ran up to the group and changed into his human form. He glared at them all, but growled at Nao when he saw the traitor.

“Kaoru get Reita, Tsuzuku, and Aoi out of here. Nao…I’ll deal with you later so you better not run away. Toshiya, Koichi I need you both here to help fight.”

“I’m sorry, Kyo.” Kaoru said.

“We’ll talk later. Get them out now!” Kyo ordered before changing back. Koichi and Toshiya changed as well to cover the group as they ran towards the exit. They turned out of the exit and ran down the road. As they turned to run down the alleyway Nao yelped. His foot had caught on something in the snow and fell down. Reita stopped to help him up as the others stopped further up. Nao was pulled to his feet and they started running again. Kaoru lead them down the sidewalk when suddenly three wolves ran out of an alley between them. Two faced Kaoru, Aoi, and Ryoga, who was still holding tightly onto Tsuzuku’s body. The third wolf growled at Reita and Nao.

            Kaoru looked up at them as they looked back. Reita grabbed Nao’s hand and started running in the opposite direction.

“Reita!” Kaoru shouted.

“We’ll be fine!” The blonde shouted being chased by the large brown and white wolf. Kaoru looked at the two wolves growling in front of them. Kaoru growled back changing into his grey form. Ryoga pushed Tsuzuku’s body onto Aoi so he could change too. The four growled at each other waiting to strike. Aoi moved back and started running away with the unconscious omega in his arms.

~~~

            Reita looked back to see the wolf closing in. Nao gripped his hand tighter as he looked back too. The blonde looked around. “I don’t know where to go.”

“I do.” Nao gasped. “I know how to get back to Kyo’s side from here.”

Reita gave him a worried look. He wasn’t ready to trust the other wolf, but he didn’t have much choice. He nodded. “Take the lead.”

Nao let go of Reita’s hand and ran ahead a few paces. He shouted before he turned so Reita could turn with him. The only bad part was the wolf behind them could anticipate their moves. Nao ran ahead a little more, but turned and reached his hand back. Reita took it so they wouldn’t get separated. They ran through another alley and they looked back to see the wolf gone. They slowed down and let their hands go. Reita watched and waited for the wolf to appear. He heard a yelp behind him and turned to see Nao falling on the ground.

“Nao!” He shouted and darted to the brunette. He got about five feet away when he stepped on something. In a split second the contraption went off and snapped onto Reita’s ankle. The blonde screamed out in pain as he fell to the ground. He whimpered looking down at the metal foot trap that had caught his ankle. The metal jaws had torn through his pants, broken his skin, and was digging into his flesh. He cried out in pain. He heard Nao stand up and he turned to look at him.

“Nao!” He cried. “You have to get this thing off of me.”

Nao looked up and Reita turned to see what had caught his attention. The wolf from earlier was walking up to them. He slowly changed into his human form. He was tall with black and red hair. Nao moved to walk past Reita to the man.

“I did what I was told. Now are you going hold up your end, Die?”

“Honestly this isn’t my thing. Masashi should be the one doing all of this.” Die complained.

“We had a deal.” Nao snapped.

Die waved his hand. “Hiro’s deal not mine, but an order is an order.”

“Nao?” Reita gasped. “I trusted you.”

The omega looked down at him. “You shouldn’t have.”

The alpha knelt next to him and mumbled. “I really hate doing these things.”

He dropped to his knees and forced Reita to turn onto his stomach. The blonde tried to fight back, but Nao helped hold him down as Die tied his arms behind his back. Die gripped Reita and leaned down to whisper something into his ear.

“Please, stop…” Reita whimpered and Nao started laughing as he moved to sit on a trash can.

~~~

            Kai ripped his teeth into his opponent’s neck, but was pulled off by another brown wolf. Kai snapped at it as it bit onto his hind leg. Ruki jumped on the brown wolf and tore at its neck pulling it off his friend. Kai jumped to help finish the job. The two looked around. They found Kyo being ganged up, but their leader was holding his own throwing them off as they attacked. Soon, Shou and IV jumped into the pile to help pull them off Kyo. Melody and Miyavi had each other’s backs as they fought off more of the pack. Kai found his next target, but before he could take a step he felt his body fill with pain. He groaned and felt Reita calling for him. Kai stared at Ruki who knew the look. Ruki let out a howl telling his pack that he and Kai were leaving, then two took off to find Reita.

~~~

            Kaoru slammed the body of the wolf in his jaws to the ground. He lifted up letting blood drip from his snout. The wolf below gasped for air before stilling. He looked over to see Ryoga rolling around with the wolf he was fighting. Ryoga’s previous wounds had opened back up and he was bleeding quite a bit. Kaoru charged in and helped his finish the wolf off. They caught their breaths before changing back and taking off to go after Aoi. Ryoga sniffed the air, following Tsuzuku’s scent. They headed down the road but they didn’t make it far before hearing a whimper. Up ahead they found Tsuzuku’s body lying on the ground.

Ryoga dropped next to his body to lift him up. They heard growls and whimpers nearby, but before they could react two wolves, one grey and the other brown, came tumbling out from between two buildings. The brown wolf jumped onto the grey one and tore at its neck making it whine. The grey wolf shot up, pulling from its grasp and jumped on top of it. They rolled around biting into each other until the grey wolf got on top and buried it’s snout into the brown wolf’s lower neck ripping its jugular. The injured wolf pulled back before falling. It twitched on the ground before stilling. The grey wolf turned to face the alphas. He whimpered as his body slowly changed into Aoi’s human form. The raven’s face, neck, and hands were covered in blood. Kaoru rushed forward and pulled him into a hug as he cried out.

~~~

            Nao watched as Die sat on top of Reita’s body. The blonde pulled at his bindings, but couldn’t break them. Nao pulled a syringe full of an orange liquid out of his jacket pocket and threw it in the snow by Die/

“Give it to him. Give him the serum, he won’t fight back then.” Nao said.

Die growled. “You dare order me, omega?”

“We had a deal. Remember Hiro’s orders.” Nao snapped.

Die glared at him before he grabbed Reita’s shirt and jacket collar to pull them down exposing his pale neck. The blonde growled at him as Die grabbed the syringe, but then the omega began to struggle more.

“No.” He whimpered. Die popped the cap off and squirted the air bubbles out. He held Reita’s head still and injected the serum into his neck. Reita sniffled feeling it enter his body and he cried out.

~~~

            Kaoru had placed Tsuzuku on his back and was carrying him that way as Aoi helped Ryoga run behind him. He had to find Reita and soon. They started heading in the direction the blonde had ran with Nao in hopes of finding them. Kaoru knew they couldn’t have gotten too far, but he had terrible feeling in his gut.

~~~

            Reita glared up at Nao who smiled happily at him. He heard Die moving behind him and something clanking. Die was mumbling to himself as he reached down to unbuckle the blonde’s pants. Reita gasped realizing what he heard was the alpha undoing his belt and pants earlier. The blonde tugged at his bindings, but his arms were becoming numb. He felt pathetic unable to stop his pants from being tugged down. Die looked down at the weakening omega then over at Nao who was smiling like a maniac. He was fighting with himself, but he was ordered to do this. He was ordered to rape Reita in exchange for Nao’s information, but everything inside him was telling him to stop. This wasn’t what Die wanted…he didn’t want to hurt a defenseless omega because Hiro made a deal with Nao.

“No, don’t!” Reita begged, bringing Die back to the present.

Nao laughed. “How will Kai like you now? After you get used up by another wolf.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Reita whimpered. “I’ve never done anything to you.”

“You took Kai from me.” Nao said softly. “He was all I had left.”

“What about Tora? Saga?”

“They abandoned me!” Nao yelled. “They left me here! And you’ll be left here all alone like me. Kai will never take you back after this.”

Reita gasped. “No! Stop it! Please, stop it!”

~~~

            Kai gasped feeling his mate’s fear. He growled as he felt Reita in pain. He ran across the road and towards an alley. He could smell his mate nearby. He ran down and turned to another alleyway and saw Reita laying on the ground with man on top of him. Reita was screaming his lungs out. Kai growled out tackling into the man catching him off guard. Nao gasped and turned to see Ruki jumping on top of him. Die quickly change into his wolf and fought back. Nao changed to fight back, but he was no match for Ruki.

~~~

            Kaoru heard Reita scream and they ran towards it. They looked into an alley to see Kai fighting with another wolf. Kaoru sat Tsuzuku against a car and Ryoga sat next to him. Kaoru and Aoi ran in as the two fought. Kaoru looked inside the secondary alley and saw Ruki pinning Nao to the ground with Reita laying nearby. They ran in straight to Reita’s shaking body. Kaoru started picking him up, but he screamed out in pain. He looked around and saw the foot trap on the blonde’s ankle. The trap had been chained to a pipe on the building. He moved over and grabbed the jaws to try and pull them off, but it wouldn’t budge. Reita whimpered in pain from the action. Aoi shook seeing Reita’s pants pulled down.

“Aoi help me.” Kaoru ordered trying at the foot trap again. Aoi took a step back and started running from where they came from. “Aoi come back!”

            The raven darted outside the alley and looked at the cars. He saw a utility truck they had passed earlier. He ran to it trying to open the side panels, but they were all locked. He stood on a tire and looked into the bed of the truck. Sitting to the side was a crowbar. He grabbed it and ran back to the alley. He glanced at Ryoga and Tsuzuku as he ran past them to see the blonde struggling to keep his eyes open. Kai’s body was slammed into the wall as Aoi ran past the fight. He whimpered, but jumped back onto Die attacking him once more. Aoi went down the alley and slid onto his knees by Reita’s body. Kaoru looked at him and saw the crowbar.

“Good thinking.” He said taking it. He placed it between the jaws. “Once I have it open pull his leg out.”

Aoi nodded and grabbed Reita’s leg. Kaoru pushed down on the bar opening the jaws wide. Reita cried from the pain, but Aoi pulled his leg out of the trap and carefully sat it down. Kaoru pulled the bar out letting the trap close. He tossed the crowbar and moved up to untie the rope on the blonde’s wrists. Reita sniffled in relief. Kaoru looked down at the blonde’s pants and carefully pulled them up.

            Kaoru turned Reita onto his back and buckled his pants before collecting the blonde in his arms.

“What did he do to you?” Kaoru asked, scared of the answer.

Reita sniffled. “He injected…me with…something. He almost…he…he was about to…”

“Shh, I got you.” Kaoru said. The sound of Hiro’s howl in the distance caught their attention. It was followed by Kyo’s howl. Both ordering the packs to return home. Kai and Die growled at each other, but slowly parted. Die took off leaving them alone. Kai ran to Reita’s side and took him from Kaoru’s arms.

~~~

            The pack began filling the factory foyer and the injured were being taken care of. Kyo sat on the statue as Shinya tried to tend to his wounds. He had a lot of bite marks on his arms and shoulders. A scratch ran down his cheek and a bruise formed around it. He looked at Shinya who had a cut across his nose and a few bites. He was relieved his mate was okay though. The factory doors opened again and Kyo looked at the last group walking in. Kai limped in carrying Reita in his arm; Kaoru had Tsuzuku on his back; Aoi was help Ryoga stay upright even though he looked like he was about to collapse too; and Ruki was dragging in a tied up Nao. Aoi took two steps before falling to the ground with Ryoga. Hiroto and Shou ran to them to help as Kai ran over to Shinya. The beta moved to help sit Reita on the ground.

“They injected him with something.” Kai gasped.

Reita whimpered out. Ruki dragged Nao to them and pushed him forward. “Nao won’t tell us what it was.”

Reita rolled his head to the side whimpering softer than before. Kai pulled him into his arms try and soothe his mate. “You’ll be okay.”

Shinya started checking over the blonde’s limped body. Aoi whimpered as he was being carried past them and Kaoru was in pain to see the omega suffering. Reita reached up  with a shaky hand and gripped weakly onto Kai’s shirt.

“Kai help me.” Reita cried as his arm dropped. “I don’t feel…so good.”

“What was given to him?” Kyo growled grabbing Nao’s neck. “Tell me or I’ll crush your throat.”

Nao looked at Reita, then at Kai. The alpha’s expression was of pure fear. Fear for his mate’s life. Nao looked down and closed his eyes. “A drug called Relaxer. It weakens his body so he can’t move.”

“Lock him one of the rooms.” Kyo ordered pushing Nao into Ruki. The leader looked down at the blonde who seemed to be in a pain. “Shinya?”

“Let’s move him to a private room for now.” Shinya said. Kai nodded and picked his lover up in his arms.

~~~

            Ryoga looked down at Tsuzuku’s sleeping body. After placing Reita in a contained room, Shinya was finally able to check on the omega. The blonde watched as Shinya cleaned up the last of the wounds and sighed.

“What happened to him?” Ryoga asked.

Shinya glared at him. “I don’t answer to you.”

“Please. Please tell me. I need to know if this was my fault.”

The beta sighed. “By the look of things, he went into heat the day he went missing. His heat lasts for about three days so he spent his whole heat there. I can’t say for sure until he tells us, but I believe he was raped by the alphas of Hiro’s pack. I found semen inside of him.” Shinya rubbed his head and looked away. “He’s a carrier. We’ll have to get him tested to see if he got impregnated.”

Ryoga sniffled. “Damn it. I should have stayed. If I hadn’t hesitated I could have prevented this.”

“What do you mean?” Shinya asked.

“I was leaving town. We got together a few times and had sex. He wanted me to stay, but I couldn’t get myself to say yes. For a week I put off leaving because I couldn’t stop thinking about him. When I found out he was missing it felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. If I had just manned up and said yes he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“You don’t know that.” The beta whispered. “He could have been a target from the beginning.”

“I should have protected him.” He growled. At that same moment Tsuzuku groaned and opened his eyes. Ryoga moved closer and grabbed his hand. Tsuzuku looked straight up at him. “Tsu. You’re safe now.”

Tsuzuku blinked a couple of times. “I’m dreaming again. Ryoga…wouldn’t be here…he left…”

“No I am here. I came back for you.”

He looked around. “Home? Guess I really am dreaming.” His eyes closed and he fell back to sleep. Ryoga let out a whimper before he started crying.

~~~

            Ruki paced the foyer waiting around as the others were resting their bodies. None of them told him to stop though. His mate was still gone. He was walking towards the back when the doors opened. Ruki darted to the front as Uruha ran in. The honey blonde felt so relieved seeing his mate. He pulled Ruki into a hug. The brunette pulled Uruha’s head down into a kiss. The honey pulled back a rubbed his mate’s scratched up face.

“I’m so happy you’re okay.” He whispered.

Ruki nodded with a smile and hugged Uruha tightly. He led the honey blonde to an empty futon where they laid down. Sugizo and Meto made their way to their pack see how everyone was doing.

~~~

            Tora stared at the door before opening it up. He stepped inside and looked at Nao tied up in the room. He walked closer and moved to sit in front of him. The brunette looked away from the alpha.

“Why Nao?”

“Fuck off.” Nao snapped.

Tora shook his head. “I tried to help you. I really did. I wish things had turned out differently.”

Nao listened as the alpha left the room before he smiled. “Everyone always leaves me.”


	21. Licking the Wounds

            Aoi opened his eyes and saw Kaoru looking down at him. He moved to get up, but both the alpha and Shou pushed him back down. He was shaking, but realized he was back home. It took him a minute to remember what had happened and he took a shaky breath. Shou continued wiping the blood away from the raven’s neck and chest. Kaoru flinched at the sight if Aoi’s torn flesh as Shou worked on stitching the bloody injury. Aoi reached out and gripped Kaoru’s hand.

“I’m sorry.” Aoi sniffled. “Please…I’m sorry…”

“Shh, there’s nothing to apologize for.” Kaoru said. Aoi started crying so the alpha started pushing a light amount of pressure over his body. The raven sniffled as he slowly calmed down. Shou nodded to Kaoru, thanking him for helping Aoi to still his body a little. Kaoru rubbed the omega’s cheek keeping his attention from the pain he was dealing with. The alpha looked down at Aoi’s bloody body. Other than the wound on his neck, he had a terrible gash on his chest, his hands were cut up, and he had a cut on his chin. The fight with the wolf had done more damage than they had thought.

            Kyo was laying on his back as Shinya wiped a bite mark on his stomach. Kyo didn’t want to be treated until everyone else had been taken care of, but Shinya made him at least have his bad injury stitched. The wound on his stomach was a deep gash and was bleeding quite a bit. The beta hadn’t noticed it before because Kyo had it covered up earlier, but Shinya soon discovered it. He made his alpha lay down so he could treat the wound. Shinya carefully stitched the gash as Kyo stared at him. The leader reached out and rubbed the blonde’s thigh. Shinya smiled.

“No strenuous activities until this wound is healed.” Shinya said.

“You could always do all the work.” Kyo smirked as he rubbed his hand higher.

Shinya laughed. “You could still pull a stitch.”

Kyo felt his chest warm up and Shinya felt the same. They smiled happily at each other, but were startled at the sound of someone banging on the factory door. Kyo grunted as he started to sit up, but Shinya forced him back down. Toshiya stood from his spot and walked to the door with Kamijo and Yoshiki close behind.

            Kyo watched, ready to attack if needed, as they disappeared into the hallway. Everyone was silent, waiting to see what would happen. They heard the door open then close. Toshiya and the others walked in with a familiar face walking behind them. Shinya breathed out a sigh of relief. Kyo gripped his arm.

“Go. Hiroto can finish this.” Kyo ordered. Shinya nodded before ordering the mentioned omega to tend to Kyo. Shinya headed up to the man and smiled.

“Toshi. Thank you so much for coming.”

The brunette nodded. “Where do you want me to start?”

“Follow me.” Shinya said. They walked across the foyer to the doors on the other side. They walked through to see Kai sitting next to his still mate holding his hand. Reita had become motionless other than his faint breathing. “He was given something called Relaxer. He lost mobility of his body. He can barely breathe.”

Toshi started pulling out things from his bag to start checking over Reita’s body. Kai kept a steady amount of pressure flowing through Reita to try and keep him calm. He could feel that his mate was terrified.

“I’ll need access to your medications.” Toshi said. Shinya nodded and walked over to a nearby cabinet and opened it up.

“Everything we have is here. If you need anything else, let me know and I’ll have someone run to the clinic.”

            Ryoga sat quietly in the room as he watched Koichi wipe off Tsuzuku’s sweaty face. The brunette groaned a little alerting the two of them. Tsuzuku’s face scrunched up before his eyes opened up. He looked up at Koichi for a minute before realizing his friend was beside him.

“K-Koichi?” He whispered.

“Hey. I’m right here. You’re home now. We got you back.” He pink haired man whispered. “Ryoga’s here too. He came back for you.”

Tsuzuku scowled before turning slowly to look Ryoga, who was across the room. He swallowed and started crying. “G-get out. Get him out!”

Both were shocked at his reaction. Before Ryoga could react, Tsuzuku screamed and started crawling away. Koichi looked at Ryoga and the blonde quickly stood up. The omega slid over to his friend and hugged him. Ryoga felt his heart twist, but slowly stepped out of the room. He leaned against the wall and covered his mouth before his tears began to fall. Those nearby the room heard Tsuzuku scream. Byou was quick to come up to the door and he glared at the blonde.

            He walked into the room and found Tsuzuku curled up into Koichi’s arms hyperventilating. Byou quickly walked over and knelt next to them. He placed his hand on Tsuzuku’s back.

“Calm down. You’re okay now.” Byou said.

Tsuzuku looked at him with wide eyes before he swung his hand out, scratching across Byou’s face. “Get away from me! Don’t touch me!”

Byou gripped his bleeding cheek and stumbled back. He looked up to find Tsuzuku in complete and utter fear of his presence. The omega kept screaming as he kicked and swung his hands at Byou. Koichi held him tightly in his arms so Byou could make his escape. Once the door was shut Tsuzuku cried out and buried his head into his friend’s shoulder. Koichi rubbed his back.

“Don’t let them hurt me again.” Tsuzuku cried over and over.

“Nobody will hurt you here.”

“Yes they will. The alphas will hurt me!”

“Oh, Tsu, you know your alphas would never harm you.”

“I’m scared of them.” He whimpered so quietly, Koichi almost didn’t catch it. “The alphas…will hurt me.”

            It was a few minutes later when the door slowly opened again. Koichi looked up to find Shinya stepping inside. The beta seemed cautious as he approached them. Tsuzuku had calmed down a little, but was still crying. Shinya stopped a few feet away.

“Tsuzuku?” He asked softly. The brunette flinched and slowly looked over at the blonde. “Can I come closer?” Tsuzuku shook his head ‘no’. “Okay. Okay, can I sit right here? I won’t come any closer.” Tsuzuku swallowed before nodding his head, and so Shinya sat down. “Byou told me what happened. Did he scare you?”

“Don’t let the alphas near me.” He whispered. “They’ll hurt me.”

“No, they won’t. You know them. Kyo would never allow one of his omegas to get hurt”

“ _I was hurt! He let me get taken! He let them do those …”_ He cried out and Shinya felt his chest hurt.

“No. Kyo didn’t let them take you. The moment you didn’t come home we were looking for you. We searched everywhere for you. And we fought to get you home. Kyo was devastated when you went missing. You know Kyo and you know that Kaoru, Toshiya, Melody, and all the others would never harm you. You know this. Hiro’s pack did this to you, not ours.”

Tsuzuku whimpered shaking his head. “No…they’re the same. An omega goes into heat they think it’s okay to take advantage of us!”

Shinya wanted to try and convince the omega that he was safe, but the beta knew it was useless. Tsuzuku was dealing with a trauma that couldn’t be healed in one conversation. Instead he decided to go about a different route. “Well, you know I’m a beta. I won’t do anything to you. So will you let me check on you? You have injuries that need to be watched.”

Tsuzuku bit his lip. “No. I don’t want anyone touching me!”

“Koichi’s touching you.”

“He won’t hurt me.” The brunette growled. It was obvious he was getting agitated.

“Very well. But you must lay back down and rest. Will it be okay for Shou or Hiroto to check up on you?” Tsuzuku hesitated, but nodded his head. “Koichi, get him to lay back down.”

Shinya ordered before walking out of the room. Koichi rubbed his friend’s back before carefully guiding him back to the futon. Tsuzuku laid on his side and curled up. Koichi laid next to him and pulled him to a hug to help comfort him.

            Shinya rubbed his face as he walked down the foyer. He walked to his mate and sat next to him. He gently rubbed the stitched wound and looked at Kyo, who was staring at him.

“Hiroto did a good job. He’s getting better with his skills.”

“You taught him well.” Kyo said.

Shinya nodded. “Tsuzuku is in bad condition. He’s reacting negatively from the presence of alphas.”

Kyo closed his eyes. “This is all my fault.”

“No, Hiro did this, not you.” Shinya said sternly then sighed. “He was taken advantage of when he was at his weakest and now he won’t let anyone other than omegas near him.”

“How do we help him?” Kyo asked.

Shinya looked over at the room and saw Ryoga sitting outside the door with his head buried in his hands. “We get his mate to reconnect with him.”

“Tsuzuku doesn’t have…” Kyo started, but followed Shinya’s line of sight to the blonde. “Him?”

“Why else would he randomly show up here when Tsuzuku was in danger? Why else would he help us? Hell he went in alone to save Tsuzuku. If that doesn’t scream ‘mate’ then I don’t know what does.”

Before Kyo could answer, the door to Reita’s room opened up and Kai had stepped out. Shinya saw him wave. He looked at Kyo who nodded for him to leave.

They shut the door behind them and he saw Kai sitting back with his lover. Toshi was mixing up a light blue liquid in a container. He glanced at Shinya as he started filling a syringe with the liquid. “I managed to make an antidote. However it may take a while to fight the effects of the drug.”

Shinya nodded. He watched as Toshi injected it into Reita’s body and Kai flinched. He looked up at Shinya with a painful expression. The beta knew Reita’s fear of needles so that probably didn’t help much, but it was needed and they all knew this. After Toshi was done, he put a bandaid on the spot and stood up. He grabbed his bag and walked out of the room. Shinya nodded to Kai before stepping out and closing the door.

Toshi sighed beside him. “Shinya, do you know about the drug called ‘Relaxer’?”

“Never heard of it until now.”

“It’s a new date rape drug. Renders the victim immobile, barely able to breath, but still aware of what’s happening. The problem with the drug is that fifty percent of the time the victim dies of suffocation or heart failure. Reita has a weak body—”

“He won’t die.” Shinya growled.

“No, he won’t.” Toshi said. “Only because his mate is there with him. Kai won’t let him die. But Shinya, he can’t handle much more. Just looking at him I can tell his body was weakened from the years of drugs.”

Shinya nodded. “I know this already. We’ve been working on getting him stronger.”

“I have no doubt, but I fear he may have a weak heart. I want you to bring him to my lab in the next few days to run some tests. I can check him more thoroughly and can give him medication if we need to.”

Shinya nodded. “Toshi... if they weren’t bonded, would Reita have died?”

“More than likely.” The doctor said. “You know as well as I do that Kai is taking a lot of stress away from Reita. That’s a good thing.” The beta nodded looking around the room at the resting packs. He suddenly felt tired looking at some of them sleeping. Toshi patted his back. “Go rest. I’ll check on everyone for you.”

Shinya let out a heavy breath and nodded in thanks. He made his way over to Kyo, who was still lying on his back. The blonde got on his knees and crawled up next to his mate. Kyo smiled as Shinya laid next to him and cuddled up against him. He wrapped his arm around the beta and held him close to his body. Shinya placed his head on his mate’s chest and closed his eyes. His fatigue finally took over and he fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

            Ruki and Uruha were lying next to each other on a futon. Uruha had treated his mate’s wounds from the fight which weren’t that bad. Just a few cuts mostly and one bite on his leg. Ruki was placing soft kisses on Uruha’s neck as he rubbed the omega’s stomach. Uruha smiled. Ruki pulled back and smiled back at his mate.

“I can’t believe you’re having my child.” He whispered. “I’m so happy.”

Uruha gave a soft giggle. “I know. Do you want a boy or a girl?”

Ruki shrugged. “Either is fine.”

Uruha placed his hand over Ruki’s and moved his hand in circles. They stared at each other’s eyes and Uruha gently moved his mate’s hand lower. Ruki smirked as his hand slipped into Uruha’s pants.

“Should we moved to another room?” Uruha whispered.

“Nah.” Ruki whispered back as he continued his movements. “We’ll just be quiet.”

            Across town, Hiro stomped down the corridor. He swung a door open to find his alphas wrapping up there wounds. He glared as he stormed up to Die, who was eating an apple. He struck the red head across the face.

“We almost had Akira! Not only that, our only source of information was taken away from us as well. You let them get away!”

“Don’t worry, we can get Akira in a couple of days. How hard can it be to draw him out?” Die said taking another bite of his apple. Hiro snatched it out of his hand and tossed it.

“Kyo has probably already killed Nao and hidden Akira away by now.”

“Kyo’s too soft for that.”

“Don’t underestimate him.” Hiro snapped. “Dogma is going to be here in a couple of weeks and I don’t have any of my bargaining chips! You had the perfect chance and you lost Akira, so you better get him and bring him to me before Dogma gets here.”

“You were the one who made that damn deal with Nao. I was just following your orders!” Die snapped. Hiro glared before grabbing Die’s neck and slamming him into the floor.

“I wanted him here first!” Hiro growled.

“Then you should have said so.” Die said gasping for air.

“I shouldn’t have to. Use your head.” The pack leader growled out as he pulled away from the alpha with a glare. Hiro kept growling as he started walking away as Die slowly sat up rubbing his neck.

“Why don’t you just tell Dogma where Akira is?” The alpha asked.

“Because if I gave him the information Dogma would just take it without keeping his side of the deal. I don’t trust Dogma, but I need him to get Kyo’s part of the city.” Hiro growled. “Bring me Akira, alive.”

With that, Hiro stomped out of the room. He walked down the corridors of the building until he made it up to the top floor and went to his room. Cazqui was looking at himself in front of the mirror. He turned to the side and rubbed his stomach. Hiro smiled and walked up to him, wrapping his arms around the white headed man. He rubbed the beta’s belly with a loving smile.

“I’m getting fat.” Cazqui pouted.

Hiro laughed. “That’s okay. It’s normal.” He knelt down and kissed the beta’s stomach. “You’re going to be a strong wolf just like me.”

Cazqui laughed at his mate. “What are you doing?”

“Talking to my puppy.” Hiro said and straightened up to hug his mate. He kissed Cazqui’s nose. “When I get this whole city, we’ll be able to make our pack nice and strong.” He whispered, gently pushing his mate back. They fell onto the bed and Hiro started kissing down the beta’s stomach. “I’m going to fill your belly with many puppies and you’re going to give me a large powerful pack.”

“One that can even stand up to Dogma.” Cazqui stated. “Our puppies will take over as the most feared pack.”

Hiro smiled rubbing Cazqui’s stomach. “This little one will have to be strong to take care of its brothers and sisters.”

“His.” Cazqui stated. “I’ve already decided our first child will be a boy.”

“I don’t think it works that way.” Hiro laughed.

“I’m giving you a boy and that’s that.” The beta said smiling. Hiro smiled back and kissed the pale stomach again.

“My son. I will have this city before you’re born. You will have this place under your control. I swear.”

Cazqui pouted. “Come up here and pay some attention to me.”

Hiro laughed before sliding back up. He kissed Cazqui on the lips before sitting up. He tossed his shirt off to the side before going back down to embrace his mate.


	22. I will Protect My Mate

            Koichi rubbed soft circles on Tsuzuku’s back as he ate his meal. It was the first time the omega decided to eat since his return home. It had been six days since he was rescued and Tsuzuku still would only let omegas near him. Shou and Hiroto alternated coming in and checking on his wounds for Shinya and Byou. Ryoga remained outside of the room the whole time and only moved to use the bathroom or shower. He refused to leave the door for longer than five minutes. Byou made sure that his bandages were at least changed and his healing wounds cleaned.

            Koichi stepped out of the room to take the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. He dropped the plate into the sink and sighed. He wanted his friend to get better, but he knew he couldn’t rush this type of healing. He walked out with his head down, nearly bumping into Kyo as he did. The pack leader grabbed his arm as he tried to walk away.

“I need your help.” Kyo said.

Koichi looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

            A few minutes later the pink haired omega was taking a deep breathe in front of the door. He looked over at Kyo, then at Ryoga who seemed impatient to get inside the room. Koichi finally went inside and moved to sit next to his friend. Tsuzuku was laying on his side facing the wall. Koichi rubbed the brunette’s shoulder.

“Hey, Tsu? Can you sit up so we can talk for a minute?” Koichi asked. The brunette nodded and moved to sit up like his friend requested. The omega smiled and rubbed Tsuzuku’s hand. “I know, you went through something…unimaginable, but we want to help you. We can’t do that if you don’t let your alphas in.”

“No.” He gasped and looked away.

“Tsu, you can’t go on without your alphas.”

“I can. I’ve lived without them before. I can live without them again.” Tsuzuku whimpered.

“Tsu,” Koichi sighed. “We didn’t have that great of a life before Kyo and Yoshiki. We barely survived. Omegas need alphas. We need them and they need us.”

“Please stop.” Tsuzuku whimpered.

“Ryoga hasn’t left your door. He’s been sitting out there waiting for you. I know you know. I know you can feel him and I know that you want him.”

“He’ll hurt me.” The brunette whimpered, on the verge of crying.

“We both know that’s not true. Ryoga risked his life to save you. He would have died if it meant bringing you home. Please try and let him in. Just him. You don’t have to see any other alpha. But you need your mate and he needs you.”

“He’ll leave me.” Tsuzuku whispered. “He already left me once.”

“Remember what Reita said. Try to give him a second chance.”

Tsuzuku bit his lip. He was shaking and his cheeks were wet from tears. He closed his eyes and Ryoga’s smile filled his memories. “If I say leave he has to leave.”

Koichi’s eyes widen. “You will let him in here?”

Tsuzuku nodded. The pink haired omega smiled and patted his friend’s back before standing up. He walked over to the door and opened it.

            Ryoga stepped inside and he felt his chest twist at the sight of Tsuzuku crying. He looked at Koichi who nodded for him to go forward. The blonde swallowed a lump in his throat before he slowly walked closer. He stopped when he was about five feet away. Tsuzuku sensed his presence and finally looked up at him. Ryoga wanted to move closer, but heeded Koichi’s warning on giving the omega his space. Ryoga sat down and looked at Tsuzuku’s shaking form. It was quiet between them and they only stared at each other for the first few minutes.

Ryoga closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. “Tsuzuku, I’m so sorry that I left you. I was scared because for the first time in my life I felt a connection with someone. I felt a connection with you. I felt cared for and I didn’t want to be crushed when you decided that you didn’t want me anymore. I wanted to leave before I got hurt, but in the end I hurt you instead. I’m sorry for being weak.”

Tsuzuku continued to cry as he listened to Ryoga. “I lied when I said I didn’t want to stay. I wanted to take it all back and I wanted to talk to you. When I finally got the courage you had already been taken from me. I couldn’t…I wouldn’t let you go. I won’t let you go. Please, give me another chance to prove to you that I care for you. To prove that I’m not a lone wolf anymore. I want to be yours. I want to be your mate.”

Tsuzuku was hiccupping as he cried. _“Ryoga…you’re really here.”_

“Yes,” Ryoga’s voice broke and he felt tears rolling down his cheek, “and I won’t leave you unless you want me to. Just say the word and I’ll stay with you for the rest of my life. Just say so, and I’ll leave you be if that is what you wish. Please, whatever you do, do it for you. I don’t want you hurting anymore. I don’t want you to suffer anymore. I want you to be happy. I want you to laugh and call me a pervert again.”

The brunette sniffled. “ _Ryoga…”_

The blonde shivered hearing his name. He looked up at Tsuzuku to find him hugging himself. The brunette moved an arm out and reached his hand for Ryoga. The alpha gasped and started crawling closer. He grabbed Tsuzuku’s hand and moved closer to his body until they were an inch from each other. Ryoga hesitated to touch Tsuzuku anymore, but the brunette fell onto his body. Ryoga hugged him tightly as he cried.

“ _Don’t leave me…don’t leave me again!”_ Tsuzuku cried out.

“Never.” Ryoga whispered.

~~~

            Reita moaned as he clenched the sheets and bit into the pillow. He felt his mate’s hand rubbing up his back and felt the pressure flow through him again. Kai gripped the blonde’s hips as he thrusted into his mate. He leaned over and licked Reita’s back and bit onto his shoulder. The blonde gasped, calling out Kai’s name. The alpha reached under him and gripped Reita’s twitching member making him moan out. A knock sounded on the door and it opened up to show Byou walking in. He stopped and smirked. Kai let out a possessive growl as he bit harder onto his mate’s neck. He glared at Byou who waved his hand.

“Shinya wanted me to get you guys. Reita has an appointment with Toshi today. Remember?” The doctor laughed nervously.

The blonde let out a loud moan as Kai pushed him into the futon as he thrusted harder. Kai growled at Byou, baring his teeth at the other alpha. The doctor rolled his eyes and waved his hand as he left the room. Kai pulled out and force Reita to turn onto his back. The blonde was panting as Kai moved to push back in making Reita gasp out. He reached up circling his arms around the brunette’s neck and pulled him down into a kiss. Kai reached down to pump at Reita’s member. Kai quickened his pace as he felt Reita tense in his hand.

“Kai…I’m going…going to…” Reita gasped out.

“Let it all out.” Kai growled.

Reita shivered and cried out as he came, shooting his seeds all over Kai’s stomach. The brunette grunted, feeling his mate tighten around him. He gave a few more thrusts before releasing his load into his blonde’s body. Reita gasped out as Kai dropped onto his body. The brunette placed soft kisses on Reita’s cheek and neck to bring him out of his high.

            Kai pressed a kiss on Reita’s cheek then he caught his lips. Reita pulled away and smiled. Kai pulled out making his mate shutter and whimper. He rubbed Reita’s cheek and pecked his nose.

“I wasn’t too rough was I?” The brunette whispered.

Reita smiled and shook his head. “I’m fine. It was great.”

Kai rubbed his cheek against Reita’s and took a deep breathe. “Let’s get to the bathroom and clean up.”

Reita nodded. He let Kai slip some boxers on him and watched as the brunette pulled on some sweat pants. Kai helped Reita up to his feet and was a crutch for the blonde as they walked out of the room. Reita kept telling him he was able to walk on his own, but Kai wouldn’t have it. They ignored everyone in the foyer as they headed down the hallway. They entered a small bathroom and Kai sat Reita on a stool. He slipped off his mate’s boxers and pulled off his own pants before going back to the door. He threw them into the hallway.

“Hey! Ruki!” Kai shouted. He waited a moment for the brunette to walk in towards him. Kai waved his clothes. “Could you get us some towels and clean clothes?”

“I’m not your personal fetch boy.” Ruki grumbled taking the dirty clothes. “Taking up my cuddle time to get you clothes, you lazy asshat.”

“Thank you buddy!” Kai sung and went back in. He turned and saw his mate slumped over. He walked in front of the blonde and rubbed his cheek making him smile.

            Kai turned on the water and carefully sprayed down Reita’s body. The blonde hummed as he felt the warm spray on his back and then on his chest. Kai lathered up some soap and started scrubbing his mate down. Reita smiled as his body was cleaned. He watched as the brunette moved down his injured leg and moved around the bandages. Kai placed gentle kisses on the bandage before unwrapping it to show the two stitched, healing gashes. He pressed gentle kisses on them making Reita shiver.

“I’ll have Shinya redress it.” Kai whispered. He sighed. “I’m sorry. I should have gotten to you sooner. You wouldn’t have been hurt. You wouldn’t have almost been…”

Reita rubbed his hands on his mate’s face and made him look up. The blonde smiled. “You came at the right time.”

Kai smiled and moved up to kiss Reita’s lips. He knew the blonde didn’t blame him, nor was he mad. And Kai was thankful for it.

            Twenty minutes later, Reita was sitting on the statue as Shinya wrapped his leg back up. Kai was sitting next to him kissing his neck and making him smile. Kaoru was rolling his eyes at the couple as he sat against the wall rubbing Aoi’s back. The raven was laying on the alphas lap fast asleep. He looked down at Aoi and smiled before leaning in and press a kiss on the raven’s forehead. He could hear Uruha groaning nearby and looked over to see the honey blonde on his side rubbing his stomach. Ruki was being a worry wart and hovering over him. Kaoru smiled remembering his days as a worrying father. His smile dropped though.

            Aoi twitched when he felt something wet hit his cheek. When another drop hit he opened his eyes and looked up. He was shocked to find Kaoru crying above him. He sat up catching the alpha’s attention. Aoi wiped the tears off Kaoru’s cheek. Kaoru grabbed the omega’s hand and gave him a soft smile before dropping his head on Aoi’s shoulder. Aoi hugged the alpha’s body tightly as he felt his shoulder become wet.

            Toshiya was waiting patiently for Shinya to finish up with Reita before he walked over to Ruki and kicked his leg. The brunette growled at the other alpha.

“Calm down, Uruha’s just nauseas. Get ready, we’re about to head out.” Toshiya said.

Ruki grumbled rubbing his mate’s stomach, but he smiled at Uruha. “I’m going now. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Please be safe.” Uruha said.

Ruki rubbed the brunette’s stomach. “Be good for mommy, now. Don’t be too much of a brat.”

“Hey, don’t call me mommy.” Uruha snapped with a scowl. “I’m may be having a kid, but I’m still a man.”

Ruki laughed nervously. “I know. I’ll be back later.”

He leaned in and pressed a kiss on his mate’s cheek. He stood up and walked over to the others. Kai was kneeling down, insisting that he carried Reita. He didn’t want the blonde walking around too much yet. Reita sighed giving in and climbing onto his mate’s back. Shinya giggled as he watched the two of them. They started towards the door, but Kyo grabbed Shinya’s arm, stopping him.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go? Yoshiki has no problem with looking over everyone while I’m gone.” Kyo said. Shinya smiled and rubbed his mate’s cheek.

“We’ll be fine. You need to stay here. Three alphas are enough.” Shinya said. He leaned in and kissed Kyo on the lips. The pack leader kissed back, but was still worried. He watched as his mate and four others of his pack walk out of the front doors.

~~~

            Footsteps sounded as an omega ran into the room full of alphas. Die looked up with a glare from his card game. The omega was huffing for air as he approached them and dropped to his knees.

“What is it, Daichi?” Die growled

“We spotted Akira.” He said. “He went into the hospital about ten minutes ago with four others.”

Die growled and dropped his cards. “Masashi, Natsu, I need you both to come with me. Daichi, you and Masa are coming along, too.”

~~~

            Toshi was sitting at his desk when his assistant walked in to tell him about his appointment for the day. He nodded with a smile and walked out to the waiting room where he found the wolves sitting. Reita was sitting nervously and looked up to see him. Toshi smiled and Shinya stood up. Reita stood as well and Kai gripped his hand, giving him a reassuring smile. Reita smiled back before following the beta and the doctor to the back room.

            The blonde grew nervous as he changed into a hospital gown. He was weighed and his blood pressure was taken before he was moved into a small check up room where Shinya was waiting with him. Shinya had to prepare him for the next phase, which a blood drawing. Reita became nervous and started freaking out, but he felt Kai inside him and that helped him stay calm. Shinya was helping distract him as Toshi took four small vials of blood. Reita was on the verge of a panic attack by the time they were finished, but they were able to calm him.

            Next they had him take several x-rays laying down and standing up. Right after that they had him get an EKG where they attached electrodes to his chest to check his heart rhythm. Reita was getting nervous through all these tests because they weren’t telling him anything, only smiling at him occasionally. The next test was an echo, where they got an ultrasound of his heart. That took a few minutes then they took him to a completely different room.

            It was an exercise room. They hooked up a bunch of wires to his chest and a tube into his mouth then placed him on a treadmill. They had him start walking at first, then had him jog and finally he started to run. They wrote on papers and checked the monitors around him. Shinya placed his hand on Reita’s arm.   

“You’re doing great. Whenever you’re ready to stop or if you start to feel pain in your chest or if your leg is bothering you too much, just hit the red button.”

Reita nodded in response as he continued to run on the treadmill.

            After about fifteen minutes Reita hit the red button and the treadmill slowed to a limping walk then to a stop. The blonde was gasping for air as Toshi and Shinya took the wires off his body. Shinya patted his back telling him he did great as they removed the tube from his mouth. They had him sit to check his blood pressure again. After he was able to catch his breath, they moved him back to the checkup room to sit while they went over the results of their tests. As he waited, they let Kai into the room and he sat next to his mate. Reita laid on the patient chair and dozed off as they waited.

            It was about two hours later when Shinya and Toshi were walking inside. Kai gently woke Reita up and the blonde sat up rubbing his eyes. Toshi and Shinya smiled as they pulled chairs to sit in.

“So?” Kai asked squeezing Reita’s hand.

Toshi and Shinya looked at each other, but the older doctor spoke. “Well, it’s complicated. I put an immediate rush on your blood work and found nothing abnormal in your system. However your immune system is weak.”

“That explains why it took you longer to get better when you caught the Omega Sickness.” Shinya added.

“Just as we expected, your heart has been weakened by the years of drugs injected into your system. The good news is, it’s not so weak that it’ll effect your daily routine or any strenuous exercises you do. The bad news is, even if you get your connection with your inner wolf back, you’ll have to avoid transforming into your wolf form.”

“What?” Reita gasped.

“Reita,” Shinya spoke. “Do you remember when you first changed into your form after you came here? You were in pain. Your heart contracting abnormally was the source of that pain.”

Toshi started speaking again. “When you were cage fighting, did it hurt to transform then too?”

Reita nodded. “Yeah. I mean sometimes it would, but I wasn’t allowed to complain about it. My master—” He was cut off when he felt anger swell inside his chest, but it wasn’t his anger, it was Kai’s. Reita swallowed and continued. “Dogma, had been inducing my transformations for so long he would beat me or starve me for complaining about it so I ignored it as best as I could when it happened.”

Toshi said. “Those drugs left the side effect of weakening the heart. When you transform, a large amount of oxygen and energy is needed for that sudden burst of energy and so your heart is already overworking. Your bodies are naturally adapted to handle this function. With you Reita, it’s as if you have a normal human heart rather than a wolf’s heart. So it’s a strain whenever you transform.”

“Can it kill him?” Kai whispered.

Toshi sighed. “I don’t know. I think if you exercise more it’ll help strengthen your heart. When you do transform you need to run in that form for as long as you can handle. You want to strengthen your heart in both forms. This may help, but it may not. This is going to be a slow process even after you’re able to get your connection back.”

“We’re talking years, Reita.” Shinya spoke. “Two, possibly three and even then it may not be enough.”

The blonde bit his lip. “I’m…”

“You’ll be okay.” Kai said. “We’ll all help you through this.”

Reita felt warm streams running down his cheeks and Kai immediately embraced him.

            It was a little while longer before Reita was able to calm down. He got dressed and Toshi released him from the hospital. When they stepped out to the waiting room they found Toshiya sleeping in his chair as Ruki was playing with a couple of kids nearby. They shook the alpha awake and Ruki saw them waving at him. The brunette said goodbye to the kids and followed them out of the door. Kai was insisting that Reita rode on his back, but the blonde said he was okay to walk. He still had a slight limp, but it really wasn’t as bad as everyone was making it out to be.

            Kai had settled down and held his mate’s hand as they walked towards home. They made it about halfway there when Toshiya stopped and sniffed the air. He looked around them and the others stopped. Ruki looked around as well and Kai gripped Reita’s hand tighter.

“Kai?” Reita whispered.

“Stay behind me. Shinya, don’t leave his side.” Kai ordered and the beta nodded with a glare. He stood next to Reita as the three wolves surrounded them. They all kept their eyes open and ears alerts. Toshiya growled as he spotted Die walking towards them with two alphas in their wolf forms. Ruki and Kai growled at them.

Die smiled at them. “No need for a fight guys. Just came to pick something I left behind.” He looked right at Reita and held his hand out. “If Akira comes with me, I won’t kill any of you.”

Kai growled out. “You won’t touch my mate!”

“Your mate?” Die asked lifting his eyebrow. “Interesting… but I’m still taking him. I have my orders.”

Kai started changing along with Toshiya and Ruki. “Shinya, get Reita out of here.”

Die changed and the six wolves charged at each other. Shinya grabbed Reita’s hand to run, but two more wolves jumped out in front of them. Shinya pushed Reita back as he changed into his grey wolf form. He growled, but quickly howled to alert his pack. One of the brown wolves in front of them tackled Shinya into the snow, leaving the second to walk towards Reita. Reita stepped back and the wolf charge him. He gasped, but Kai jumped in front of him and tackled the wolf. Reita watched as Die went in and bit on Kai’s neck making him whimper. The brown wolf below him jumped and bit his leg, pulling him down.

“Kai!”

“ _Run, Reita!”_ Kai growled trying to fight back.

Reita looked around. Shinya was on his back snapping at the wolf on top of him. Ruki was rolling on the ground with his opponent as Toshiya was pushed back by his challenger. Kai whimpered as the two wolves tore into his skin.

“No.” Reita whimpered dropping to his knees. He clenched his chest as pain shot through it. He watched as blood flowed from his mate’s body. “No.” His vision grew blurry and he felt his body falling as another pain shot through his chest.

_He opened his eyes a found his inner wolf looking down at him with yellow eyes. Reita had been chained to oak tree in its place. Reita gasped as the white wolf turned to walk away._

_“No!” He yelled reaching out. He grabbed the wolf’s leg. He felt the chains pulling at his body, but he fought against them. “I won’t have you fight my battles for me!”_

_The wolf looked back at him. Reita pulled at the chains some more gaining a few more centimeters. “Kai is my mate! He’s mine. It’s my job to protect him. You are me. I am you. I need your strength, but your strength was mine first. I won’t let you take it from me!” He shouted breaking some of the chains. “You belong to me. You are my body. You are not separate from me!”_

_Reita pulled away at the chains, breaking them as he stood up. The remaining ones were on his wrists and neck. “We are one. Now come back to me! I won’t rely on my wild beast. My beast will rely on me! I will be one again! I will protect my family. I will protect my mate! I will be whole again!”_

_The wolf’s eyes widen and a strong gust blew. Reita watched as his wolf changed into leaves and blew into the wind. He watched as the leaves wrapped around him, then onto the tree. Each of the leaves found their places on the stems of the branches. The chains on his wrist broke apart._

_Reita turned and saw Dogma staring blankly at him. The blonde turned back to the tree and saw something coming out. The bark formed the shape of a wolf and it slowly came out changing into a white healthy beast. The chain around Reita’s neck was connected to the one around the wolf’s neck. A vine covered in leaves wrapped around the wolf’s neck and wrapped around the chain up until it was wrapping around Reita’s neck. The blonde fell to his knees as the wolf walked up to him and sat down. Reita felt different. He felt like when he was much younger. He closed his eyes and when he opened them he was looking at his own human form sitting. He was in his wolf form. He stood and growled at Dogma, but another gust hit and the man transformed into a thousand dead leaves disappearing into the distance._

            Reita gasped as he found himself back in the normal world. His chest still had shocks of pain going through it. It was if he was only out of it for a second. His eyes widen at Kai’s howling. He growled as he felt his skin changing and his bones moving. He could feel everything. He could feel his lungs filling with air, his paws pushing into the snow, and his tail wagging behind him. He felt his chest vibrate as he growled out. He charged in and jumped onto Die’s back digging his fangs into his skin. Reita was whole again.

            Die was stunned by the sudden attack and took a minute before he was able to start biting back. Reita tore into the alpha’s skin, ignoring as Die ripped into his as well. They rolled in the snow spreading blood across the white fluff. Kai pushed Masa off his body and tackled him down. They all heard barking in the distance.

“Die!” Masashi growled digging his fangs into Ruki’s neck, making him whimper. He tore deeper into Ruki’s neck and growled out. “We have to go!”

Die growled and pushed Reita back. “Retreat!”

The wolves started running away and the others barked at them. Reita growled as they took off.

            Kyo had been pacing the foyer showing his obvious concern. He hadn’t wanted his mate to go without him, but Shinya had insisted. Yoshiki had laughed at him, but the jokes ended later that day when they heard the beta’s call for help. Kyo told Yoshiki and his pack to stay behind as he led his alphas out to fight. Uruha was instantly worried for his mate. He rubbed his stomach as he paced the room to try and comfort himself. They group had only been gone for five minutes when Uruha felt a strange pain go through his body. He whimpered and leaned against the wall.

Hide noticed. “Uruha? Are you okay?”

The honey blonde whimpered as he collapsed. “Uruha!” The wolves around him shouted. Hide was first to his side and turned him over.

“Uruha, where are you hurting?”

Uruha whimpered as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Ruki…”

“Hide…” Hiroto gasped. The beta looked at where the brunette was pointing and saw blood coming from under Uruha’s body.

            Kai gasped as wolves came barreling in, a few going after Die, but stopping a little ways down. Kyo changed into his human form along with Kaoru and Byou. Kai slowly changed back and looked up to see Reita’s wolf form sniffing the air.

“What are we going to do?” Kaoru asked. “He can easily run off if we startled him.”

Kai grunted as he stumbled to his feet. “Reita?”

The wolf’s ear perked and he turned to face them. He started to slowly walk towards him. Kaoru and Kyo tensed not knowing how to react, but Kai smiled. The white wolf huffed as it stumbled forward. Kai dropped to his knees and wolf dropped in front of him. It slowly changed into Reita’s human form. The blonde gave a weak smile.

“I…I’m whole again.”

Kai smiled. “I know.”

Reita’s face relaxed as he passed out. Kai looked up at Kyo, whose eyes were wide in fear. But he wasn’t looking at them, he was looking across from them. Kai followed his line of sight to Ruki’s stilled human form. Byou was knelt beside him pressing his shirt to the brunette’s neck. Byou looked over them with wet cheeks.

“No…” Kai gasped.


	23. Years Ago, When We Fell In Love

            Uruha grunted as he sat down a heavy box on the pallet. Before he could move he was pushed down to the floor. He looked up with a glare to see one of his alphas smirking down at him.

“Stumble there, Kouyou?”

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Uruha growled.

“Knock it off Vincent.” An older woman order. “No fooling around at work.”

The alpha grunted as he walked away and as Uruha stood back up. He patted the dirt off his grey work clothing and moved to stack more boxes when they all heard alarms sounding in the distance. Everyone froze in the warehouse. The woman that had snapped earlier climbed on top of a stopped conveyer belt and whistled.

“Everybody listen up!” She shouted. “That’s the alarm for rising water. Everyone evacuate the building and head to a shelter, now!”

            They all started rushing outside to find it pouring, the streets already flooded, and the alarms blaring. Uruha followed the large group as they headed down the road. Uruha heard people screaming and he turned to see a wave of water coming from the right. He started to run as the wave hit his knees and then his stomach. His pack leader reached her hand out as he lost his balance and he reached for hers, but he missed. Uruha got pushed by the wave and went flowing down the street in the opposite direction. He gasped reaching out to grab anything that could stop him. He shouted as he grabbed a lamppost and held on to it. He pulled his body against it and looked around him.

            Uruha gasped as he held on for dear life. He spotted the water parting at the hills nearby. He let go of the lamp and rode the flow of water. He would grab cars, lamps, and other standing objects to guide him down the river. The city streets opened up to the outer roads which meant Uruha could only swim now in the current the best he could. He paddled as he neared the hill and grabbed on the side to pull his body up on it. Uruha dug his nails into the dirt as he climbed the muddy hill.

            As the omega made it to the top he caught his breath and stared back at the flooded town below him. Uruha sighed turning away. He shivered as the rain continued to pour on his body and he headed into the woods giving a goodbye to his home. He trudged through the forested area until the found shelter in a nearby cave. The floor inside had inch or so of water, but he sat down anyways. He leaned against the wall and watched as the storm raged on.

~~~

            He had lost everything. His possessions, his home, and his pack. Now he was all alone again. Uruha waited in the cave until the next morning before he decided to move. His soaked body shivered as he walked out to find it drizzling outside. He sucked it up and started walking. Uruha stumbled through the woods for a couple of days before he caught the scent of some wolves close by. He was cautious as he followed the scent to the edge of a cliff. He looked through the bushes and down thirty or so feet to find a small group of wolves in their human forms. He made sure to stay hidden as he listened and watched.

            The five wolves were sitting around a fire as two rabbits cooked over it.

“How much longer until we get there, Yoshiki?” The one with pink hair asked with a yawn.

The man named Yoshiki laughed as he petted the beta’s head. “A couple more days, Hide.”

“Are we still bringing back those three?”

“Of course we are, Kamijo!” The brunette shouted. “Tora and Nao have been waiting to come with us. Plus Koichi has been wanting to see Dawn city.”

“Calm down, Saga.” Yoshiki ordered. “You’re making Teru nervous”

Kamijo rubbed his shaking mate’s body. The silver haired omega started to speak, but it was so softly Uruha couldn’t hear him. He moved closer gripping the edge of the cliff. Uruha felt the dirt crumbling under his hand and he yelped as his body fell forward. The omega yelled as he rolled down the side of the cliff, startling the group. Yoshiki jumped to his feet when the stranger’s body stopped rolling near them.

            Uruha groaned as he moved to roll on his back to find Kamijo growling at him, standing protectively in front of his mate. Yoshiki walked to him cautiously and looked down at him with a scrutinizing stare. Uruha swallowed nervously, trying to ignore the pain all over his body.

“Who are you?” The leader asked with a low growl.

“U-Uruha.” He whimpered.

“What are you doing out here, Uruha?”

The omega groaned feeling his thigh burning and swallowed before answering. “My town was flooded. I got separated from my pack.”

“And you decided to wonder the woods?”

Uruha’s teeth chattered. “I… got lost. Besides, I doubt my pack would even bother searching for me.”

The group looked between themselves before Yoshiki sighed and knelt next to the omega. “I’m Yoshiki. This is Kamijo, Saga, Teru, and Hide. You took quite the fall, are you hurt anywhere?”

            Uruha finally sat up and looked down at his torn clothing. He noticed the stick that had gotten pierced into the middle of his thigh.

“That looks painful.” Hide said. “Let’s see if we can fix it.”

“We don’t know him. We can’t trust him.” Kamijo said.

“Relax.” The leader said with a smile. “What could this injured pup do to us?”

            The omega was laid down by the fire as Hide ripped Uruha’s pant leg open to look at the wound. He cleaned around it before slowly pulling the stick out. Uruha whimpered, feeling the stick sliding roughly out of his leg. Hide gave one last tug, pulling the stick all the way out and making Uruha cry out in pain. The beta prodded the wound some more before looking up at his alpha.

“He has piece stuck in his thigh. I need medical equipment to get it out.”

Yoshiki hummed as he rubbed his chin, “I don’t think Kyo would mind helping out a stray. Uruha, we’re on our way to see a friend of mine. If you’d like, you can come with us. We can treat your leg better there.”

The omega grunted as Hide wrapped the wound tightly in a torn cloth. He caught his breath before answering. “If it’s…not too much trouble.”

“None at all.” Yoshiki said happily. “Kamijo, cut up the rabbit. Once we eat we’ll head out.”

            Saga volunteered to be Uruha’s crutch as they walked through the forest that day. They fell behind the others a bit, causing them to slow down as well. Seeing this wasn’t working out, Saga decided to carry the other omega on his back. Uruha was embarrassed and kept apologizing the whole day. Saga didn’t mind and kept telling him that it was okay. As they settled down for the night, Yoshiki went out to hunt for dinner as Hide checked Uruha’s leg. The beta hummed as he prodded the wound, making Uruha whimper.

“It’s already getting infected. Listen, I’m going to have to scrub this and clean it out.”

            As Yoshiki was happily dragging his kill back to camp he heard a loud scream. He quickly dragged the small deer into the campsite to investigate. He spotted Kamijo and Saga holding Uruha down as Hide scrubbed a wet rag on the wounded thigh. The omega cried out, causing Teru to whimper in fear. The silver haired omega was curled up a few feet away against a tree and covering his ears. Yoshiki dropped his kill and knelt near them as Hide pulled the rag away. He poured water on it to clean it off and Uruha was gasping for air looking relieved for it to be over. It wasn’t though.

Hide didn’t even warn him before he started scrubbing on the wound again. Uruha screamed out, but then his voice went silent. They thought he threw out his voice at first but noticed his stilled body. He had passed out. Hide finished cleaning out the wound as best as he could and wrapped it back up. He then wiped another clean wet rag on the omega’s sweaty face.

            Yoshiki and Saga worked on skinning and cleaning the deer as Kamijo tended to his mate and as Hide kept an eye on Uruha’s sleeping form. They were quiet as the sun set. Saga had started cooking the meat as Yoshiki stored their leftovers for the next day. Hide gently woke Uruha up as soon as the first batch was done and had him eat before he laid back down to sleep.

~~~

            The next two days, Uruha rode on the backs of the group as they traveled. They did their best to fight Uruha’s growing fever and infection whenever they rested, but they could only do so much without medicine. They carried him into Ravenstone City where they were greeted by their old friend Kyo and his mate Shinya. Kyo stared at the sleeping omega on Kamijo’s back and looked at Yoshiki who just smiled. Kyo sighed as he led his friends to their home.

~~~

            Ruki yawned leaning on the counter of the café. Kai smiled happily at the sleepy brunette. Hitsugi walked up to them sitting down his tray and smirked at his friends.

“Ruki, if you weren’t out all night partying, you wouldn’t be so tired.”

The alpha shrugged before yawning again. They watched as the last customer of the day walk out and they quickly cleaned up. Kai counted the tills and safe down then they were able to head home for the evening. The only thing that was on Ruki’s mind was a good night’s rest. He wasn’t even planning on taking a shower. He just wanted to sleep.

            As they entered their home along with a few others they noticed their sister pack had arrived from their journey. They happily greeted their friends and as much as Ruki wanted to talk, he wanted to go to bed more. He was about to excuse himself when a particular scent caught his attention. He sniffed the air and walked past their guests towards their healing rooms. He opened the door to find a stranger laying on a futon. He swallowed hard feeling his heart racing in his chest. Ruki walked into the room, but a hand grabbed his shoulder stopping him.

“He’s resting. We’ll do introductions tomorrow so leave him be for now.” Shinya ordered.

Ruki nodded taking another smell of the air and walked out. “He smells nice.” He mumbled.

Shinya heard, but didn’t say anything. The beta only smiled at the retreating alpha before closing the door to the healing room.

~~~

            When Uruha woke up the next morning, he was already feeling better and could tell his leg had been properly treated. He was still sore as he sat up and stretched out his body. He took in the scent of his surroundings before getting up to his feet to limp out of the room. As he stepped out, the smell of cooked deer filled his nose and the sounds of talking made his ears twitch. He noticed Yoshiki waving to him to walk over, but then a young man with brown hair had quickly walked up to him. He smiled brightly and bowed his head.

“I’m Ruki. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Uruha said nervously. The alpha grabbed his arm and dragged him to the group. Ruki happily sat the honey blonde next to him and shared his food with him. Kyo stood by watching with care, but Shinya soon had all of his attention as sat next to the pack leader.

            Ruki was telling Uruha all about the city, offering to show him around and take him out the best restaurants. Uruha found himself smiling whenever Ruki was talking to him and when the alpha smiled, his chest filled with warmth. After about a week, Uruha’s leg was healed enough that he could walk around and Ruki took this as his chance to take the honey blonde out. The first place Uruha was dragged to, was Kai’s coffee shop where Ruki introduced him to the best coffee in the city. Ruki was happily flirting with the omega and didn’t try to be subtle either. He would rub Uruha’s arm, compliment his hair and eyes, and rub his leg on Uruha’s underneath the table.

            Uruha didn’t mind, in fact he enjoyed the attention. Whenever Ruki touched him, he felt his whole body burn and his heart pound in his chest. Over the days he was there, Ruki would walk him around showing him different places. For the first time in a long time Uruha felt happy and at peace. He couldn’t help but smile whenever they were together. As they walked through the park that evening, Uruha finally got up the courage to reach his hand out and grab Ruki’s own. The brunette was shocked at first, but smiled and squeezed the honey blonde’s hand in return.

            Ruki had dated and messed around with wolves passing through and even humans, but none of them ever made him feel the way he felt with Uruha. Just the thought of the omega sent shivers through his body. He looked at Uruha walking next to him and stared at him lips. He stopped walking forcing Uruha to stop as well. Before Uruha could ask anything, Ruki rubbed his cheek and grazed his thumb over the omega’s bottom lip. Ruki licked his own lips staring into Uruha’s eyes.

“I want to kiss you.” He whispered and Uruha blushed. “May I?”

Uruha smiled and nodded. Ruki reached up as the honey blonde leaned down and their lips met. It was soft at first, hesitant, and innocent, but Ruki didn’t waste any time to dominate the kiss. He gripped Uruha’s hair and pulled him closer as they made out. Ruki flicked his tongue out and licked the swollen lips as Uruha gasped. Ruki slipped his tongue in and pressed his body against Uruha’s making him moan. They pulled apart from each other and smiled. Ruki had a hint of perversion to his expression as he licked his lips.

“Let’s continue this at the factory.”

Uruha nodded with pink cheeks.

~~~

            Ruki was practically dragging Uruha into the factory where he was aiming to get to his room when Kai cut him off in the foyer. Ruki let out an annoyed growl, but the brunette just smiled and waved his hands in the air.

“Hey there you are. Kyo wanted to speak with Uruha about something.” Kai said pointing at where the pack leader was sitting.

Ruki groaned. “Can’t it wait?”

“He wanted to talk to Uruha as soon as you guys got back.” Kai said. “Is there something more important than our leader’s orders?”

“Yes actually.” The brunette growled. “It concerns just the two of us in my room without being disturbed.”

Kai laughed. “Of course it does, but Kyo is waiting and you don’t want to piss him off. He’s already in a bad mood.”

“What happened this time?” Ruki sighed, but noticed Kai’s face had turned into a solemn expression. “Kai?”

“Shinya hasn’t been feeling well today.” He sighed. “Uruha just needs to speak with Kyo for a few minutes then you guys can fuck all you want.”

Their faces turned red and Kai laughed. Ruki nodded to the honey blonde to go ahead. Uruha walked to the front alone and spotted Kyo sitting with his lover on an arrangement of pillows. They spotted him and stopped whatever conversation they were having to look right at him. Kyo waved to the pillows in front of him ordering the omega to sit down. Once he was seated, Kyo stared at him with an intense glare making him shake.

“Uruha, you’ve caught Ruki’s eye haven’t you?” Kyo spoke, but the omega remained quiet. “He’s unmated you know, as are you. However, I must protect my pack. Yoshiki is leaving tomorrow and he said he would gladly take you in if you want to go with him. I would take his offer and leave here.”

Uruha’s eyes widen. “But I…”

“What?”

Uruha looked back Ruki who was talking to Kai. He looked back at Kyo then at the ground. “I wanted to stay with Ruki.”

“Ruki is playing with you. He does this and it causes me trouble. He likes to play around and once he’s finished he’ll toss you away. It’s better to stop you before it starts especially if you want to have a pack.”

Uruha was shaking, tears running down his cheeks.

“Kyo, that was harsh.” Shinya spoke, but earned a glare from the alpha.

“I thought…” Uruha whimpered. “I thought he felt what I did…I thought I found…I thought…damn it. Alphas are all the same!” He shouted and jumped to his feet. Before they could stop him, he took off running shocking everyone in the room. Ruki reached out and grabbed his arm, but the honey blonde yanked it away with a glare. Ruki was shocked as Uruha yelled. “Don’t ever touch me again!”

They all watched as he ran out of the factory. Ruki looked back and glared at his leader. “What the hell did you say to him?”

Kyo glared back. “I told him the truth, Ruki. I’m tired of you bringing problems to our pack just so you can get laid.”

“Uruha is different you asshole!” Ruki snapped.

“Get back in your place, Ruki.” Kyo growled.

“Kyo!” Shinya gasped.

“Quite Shinya!” The leader snapped.

“Kyo!” He cried out. They all looked at the beta to see him leaning over gripping his stomach.

“Shinya!”

Ruki stepped back as the medics gathered around the beta and he took this chance to run out of the factory. He had to find Uruha and straighten this out.

~~~

            Uruha sniffled as he walked down the darkened streets. He didn’t know where he was going and ended up getting lost within the city. He thought he was running to the outer city, but it looked like he was closer to the center. He sighed as he continued to walk around the noisy crowds until he bumped into someone. He looked up to find a guy smiling down at him. It was rare for him to find someone taller than himself, but this guy was huge. He tried to step back, but another guy grabbed his arms from behind. The taller grabbed Uruha’s chin and smirked.

“What a cute omega we have here. Wondering the streets without an alpha is pretty dangerous you know.” He laughed.

The guy behind him licked his neck. “We could be your alphas. We don’t mind sharing you.”

“No. Let me go.” Uruha whimpered. They laughed and covered Uruha’s mouth as they dragged him away.

~~~

            Ruki sniffed the air around him as he ran through the city streets. He looked up and down for the omega, but couldn’t seem to spot him anywhere. Ruki was getting frustrated over it, but he wasn’t going to let Uruha get away from him. For the first time, he found someone who could make his heart pound and his body burn to its core. He didn’t want to lose that feeling.

“Do think we should call the police?” A girl asked her friend as they walked by.

“We should stay out of it. They looked like yakuza or something. Besides, saying something crazy like omega and alphas… they have to be in some sort of gang right?”

Ruki gasped. He reached out to the girls. “Where? Where did this happen?”

~~~

            Uruha tried crying out, but the two men had shoved a cloth in his mouth and had tied his hands behind his back. The taller ripped Uruha’s shirt open and started rubbing his hands all over the pale skin. Uruha whimpered feeling a second pair of hands on his thighs. His eyes filled with tears. He just wanted to leave this city, that was all. A low growl startled the three of them and they looked at the alleyway opening to find Ruki staring at them with a murderous glare. He stepped closer, forcing his pressure on the two alphas.

“What the hell…do you think you’re doing to my omega?” Ruki growled. “Get your filthy hands off of him.”

They stood up and glared at him. “Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?”

“You don’t seem to know where you are, do you?”” Ruki smirked. “This is Kyo’s territory and we’re a part of his pack. So I advise you to leave this city.”

The two laughed as they started to transform. “Pretty big talk for a shrimp.”

Ruki smirked with a glare. “You’re going to pay for that comment.”

~~~

            Uruha blushed as Ruki untied the cloth from around his hand freeing his arms. The honey blonde looked at the two defeated wolves lying on the ground then at Ruki. The brunette had a scratch on his neck from the fight, but he was otherwise unscathed. Uruha leaned over and licked the small wound making the alpha smile with a blush.

“Are you hurt?” Ruki whispered.

“I’m okay. They didn’t do anything.” Uruha mumbled.

“Good.” Ruki said with a smile. He rubbed the omega’s cheek, but Uruha looked away. “What is it?”

“I’m only good for a one nightstand, aren’t I?”

“What are you…” Ruki snapped. “That’s not true. Not with you. You’re different from the others I’ve been with. You make me feel different, as if we have a connection. If you leave…then I’m going with you.”

“Ruki…”

“But I want you to stay here.” Ruki whispered. “This is my home and I want to share it with you.”

“But Kyo…”

“I’ll convince him, don’t worry.” Ruki said with a smile. “Now, come on. Let’s get out of here.”

            Uruha allowed himself to be dragged by Ruki back to the factory. He clenched his shirt closed as they walked through the doors to find everyone quietly sitting around. The pack didn’t even notice the two of them walking in. Kai saw his friend walking in and quickly made his way to the other alpha.

“Hey, you found him, good.”

Ruki nodded, but was stunned to hear a loud scream. “Shinya?”

Kai nodded. “It’s seems…he’s going through another miscarriage.”

“Damn.”

Kai noticed Uruha’s condition and patted his friend’s back. “Don’t worry about that. Take care of Uruha for now.”

Ruki nodded. He gently guided the honey blonde out of the foyer and into the hallway where they went to a room at the end. Ruki shut the door behind him as Uruha walked deeper into the room. The alpha was quick to grab a new shirt for the honey blonde. Uruha changed his top and sat down on the futon with Ruki next to him.

“Shinya…is pregnant?”

Ruki sighed laying on his back. “’Was’, now. Shinya has had it rough, being a beta that’s a male carrier. It’s rare enough for male omegas to be carriers, but it’s even rarer for betas and it’s twice as hard on them. Shinya had his first miscarriage when he and Kyo were still in another pack. This is his third one.”

“That’s awful.” Uruha whispered. Ruki hummed and pulled Uruha down to lay on his chest.

“Kyo always feels so vulnerable when it’s comes to Shinya being pregnant. He feels that the miscarriages are his fault because his stress gets pushed onto Shinya sometimes. He feels like he can’t protect the people closest to him, so he does rash things. Kyo will let you stay if I tell him that we have a connection.”

“We do? We seriously have a connection?”

“You mean you didn’t notice?” Ruki asked.

“I noticed.” Uruha whispered. “I just didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe I would be able to connect to someone. After all the crap I’ve been through I thought I would always be alone.”

Ruki rubbed Uruha’s cheek. “Not anymore you’re not. I won’t let you ever be alone again.”

“You shouldn’t make promises like that.” Uruha whispered sitting up. “The last person who said that to me…ended up dying.”

“If I die,” Ruki spoke sitting up, “then I’ll force myself to come back to you. Then I’ll kick my own ass for betraying you.” Uruha started laughing and Ruki did too. After a few minutes, the alpha started talking again. “May I ask, who died?”

Uruha sighed. “My father. My mother died giving birth to me and when I was a small child a pack attacked ours. My father made me run to my grandparents’ house and hide in the basement. He said ‘Don’t worry. You won’t be alone for too long. After I’m done here, I’ll come get you. Then I won’t ever leave you alone again. I promise this is the last time.’ I waited there for a week, but he never came. The pack that had invaded…had killed everyone including my father and took all the children. I was the only survivor, so I decided to change my name and leave. I’ve been jumping packs ever since.”

“Changed your name?”

Uruha nodded. “Don’t tell anyone this okay. My birth name, is Takashima Kouyou.”

“T-Takashima? You’re from that pack?” Ruki gasped. “Holy shit no wonder you’re so beautiful, you come from a royal bloodline.”

Uruha blushed. “We’re not royalty.”

“Not anymore, but hundreds of years ago you were.” Ruki laughed. “Which means, you’re as pureblood as you get.”

“I’m not. We have mixed blood in us just like everyone else.” Uruha sighed.

“But you still carry the regal look.” Ruki said. “You’re very beautiful.”

Uruha rolled his eyes. “Just don’t tell anyone okay. It has to be our little secret.”

“A secret sealed with a kiss.” Ruki mumbled before capturing Uruha’s lips. The honey blonde moaned into the kiss and hugged the alpha. He relaxed and embraced Ruki’s body as he melted from the alpha’s touch.


	24. Happiness of Love, Pain of Loss

            Reita rolled under the blankets feeling sweat covering his body. He groaned opening his eyes and sitting up to look around the room. The last thing he remembered was walking up to Kai before everything went dark. He rubbed his forehead, swiping the sweat away as he did. He felt his body burning all over and Kai wasn’t around so Reita plopped back down with a deep sigh. He curled back up under the blanket hoping Kai would come back up to the room. He didn’t feel like being alone right now.

He closed his eyes and quickly found himself staring at the tree covered in leaves. His white wolf was laying next it sleeping. Reita looked up to find a small green fruit on the end of a lowered branch, surrounded by leaves. He looked closely at it and reached up to touch it, but his inner wolf had walked up and nudged his leg. Reita looked down at it as it walked to the tree to lay back down. The blonde walked to it and laid down to rest.

~~~

            Tsuzuku stared up at the ceiling as Ryoga sat next to him quietly. The blonde had been talking about getting Tsuzuku to leave the room, but he was fighting the idea. The thought of being around all the alphas was terrifying to him. He didn’t want to go through with that yet, but Ryoga was pushing him. He would be pissed off at the blonde if he didn’t notice Ryoga’s patience. Tsuzuku sat up and brought his knees up to his chest.

“Tsu, please, just try.” Ryoga asked one last time. “If you get uncomfortable I’ll bring you right back in here.”

The omega sighed. “Ryoga, what those alphas did to me…I’m just scared to face my own pack. I can’t help it.”

“We know. You survived through a traumatic experience, but the only way for you to get better is if you work at it.”

Tsuzuku nodded. “Okay, but only for a minute.”

Ryoga smiled and helped his mate up then led him to the door. They stood by it for a few minutes as Tsuzuku took steady breaths. He finally reached out and opened the door. He stared out into the foyer where he saw the packs laying around talking with each other. He swallowed hard before taking a few cautious steps out of the room. He looked around watching everyone, but he felt Ryoga behind him and relaxed a little. Ryoga would keep him safe, he knew that so he kept walking forward. Kyo was the first to walk towards him making him shake, but he knew his pack leader wouldn’t harm him. He just couldn’t get rid of this fear in the pit of his stomach.

            Kyo smiled as he stopped a couple feet away. “Tsuzuku, I’m happy to see you moving around. If you need something, let us know okay. Don’t hesitate to ask us for anything.”

Tsuzuku nodded before turning to face Ryoga. “I want to go back.”

Ryoga shook his head as he hugged the scared omega. He lead Tsuzuku away, but he looked back to receive a thankful look from Kyo. Ryoga got him back to the room and shut the door so his omega could feel safe again. Tsuzuku let out a deep breath as he laid down. Ryoga was quick to lay down and pull Tsuzuku into an embrace.

“You did great.” He whispered. “We can try again tomorrow.”

~~~

            Hot. It was so fucking hot and there was something heavy on his chest, but it was comforting. Ruki slowly opened his heavy eyes to the dimmed room. It was familiar. It took him a moment to realize that he was in his own room in the factory. He tried to move his head, but the pain made him grunt. He felt whatever was on him move. Uruha moved into his vision and looked as if he was about to cry. Ruki noticed the honey blonde’s eyes were swollen and red already. He felt his a wave of sadness flow through his body and knew it was coming from his mate.

“U..Uru..ha.” His voice was rough and it burned his throat.

“Shh, don’t talk.” Uruha whimpered. “Your n-neck was damaged. Almost…crushed. Y-you shouldn’t move either.”

“Uru…” Ruki whispered swiping a thumb under the omega’s teary eye. “Sorry.”

“You died.” Uruha cried. “You bastard. You died and you left me alone.”

“I’m sorry.” Ruki swallowed hard. “I told you I would come back…and I did.”

“Only because Byou and Shinya were there to save your stupid ass. If they hadn’t acted as quickly as they did you would have stayed dead.”

“I won’t…leave you…alone…nor…our puppy.” Uruha whimpered and cried some more, dropping his head on the alpha’s chest. “Uru…”

“I’m sorry, Ruki…I’m so sorry. I…lost our child.”

Ruki squeezed his eyes shut. He placed his hand on Uruha’s head. “No…it was...my fault…I caused…you to have too much…stress. If I was… stronger this wouldn’t have…happened.”

Ruki listened to his mate cry as his eyes slowly began to shut again. He couldn’t stay awake for much longer no matter how bad he wanted to comfort his mate. He was just too tired. Uruha felt Ruki pass out again, but he kept crying his heart out.

~~~

             Kyo had returned to Yoshiki where they were talking earlier before Tsuzuku came out. Shinya had fallen asleep next to them and Hide was gently rubbing his back. Kyo looked sadly at his mate then sat down to continue his discussion.

“I’m sorry, Kyo. I know this is a dangerous time for you, but I can’t risk my pack any longer.” Yoshiki sighed.

“I understand. I’ve already asked too much of you. It’s for the best for you and your pack that you leave. The sooner the better.”

Yoshiki nodded. “I will always be there for you when you need help. All you have to do is call.”

“I know and I thank you for that. When will you be heading out?”

“At first light tomorrow.” Yoshiki said. “About Nao…”

“I will deal with him personally. I cannot allow him to get away with the crimes he has committed.”

“What will you do?” Hide asked.

Kyo closed eyes for a moment before looking sadly at his friends. “He has to be euthanized.”

“I understand. It’s sad, but he brought this upon himself.” Yoshiki mumbled.

            Off to the side, Tora was listening closely to the conversation. He clenched his fists and stormed off through the foyer. Kyo watched him with worry, but went back to his conversation. Saga saw his departure and followed him close behind to see just what his friend was doing. He ran out the door after Tora to find the alpha standing out in the snow. As Saga approached, Tora turned to face him with tears running down his cheeks. Before he could say anything, Kai ran right past them catching their attention, but they were ignored by him. Saga shook his head before talking.

“Tora…what’s going on?”

“They’re going to kill Nao.” He whimpered. Saga gasped, but pulled his friend into a hug.

“Tora…”

“I won’t let them do it. Not to Nao. I won’t let them hurt him.”

Saga shook his head. “What are you planning on doing?”

Tora stepped back with a determined look. He wiped the tears off his cheeks. “Tonight, I’m going to sneak him out of here and we’re going to disappear forever.”

“Are you crazy? Nao has lost his mind. He cannot be set loose.”

“I’ll change him. I can do it I know I can I just need the opportunity to do it.”

Saga sighed. “I can’t let my friends get hurt or die. I’ll help you, but you have to promise me to never come back here. Kyo will kill you, too if you ever show your face again.”

Tora nodded. “I have a plan.”

~~~

            Kai was sitting outside on the gates keeping watch along with Toshiya and Melody. The wind was chilly, but it didn’t bother Kai that much. It was more because he was ignoring it more than feeling it. He kept replaying the scene of his friend dying then being brought back to life. It was such a close call. Then coming back to find that Uruha had a miscarriage made it even worse. Kyo was so close to losing it if hadn’t been for Shinya calming him down. Kai wanted nothing more than to kill those wolves who hurt his pack. His family.

            His eyes widen feeling Reita calling for him. He took a deep breath and sent soothing vibes to his mate, but it didn’t stop the call. In fact Kai’s heart started beating hard and he could feel his body growing excited. He turned to look back at the factory.

“What’s up?” Toshiya asked.

“Reita.” He whispered before jumping down and running to go back in. He ignored Tora and Saga as he ran passed them. He moved into the factory and sniffed the air as ran past everyone. Curious eyes followed him as he ran into the hallway. Kyo raised an eyebrow before sniffing the air around him.

“I see.” He mumbled to himself.

Kai felt his heart pounding harder in his chest as he made it up to the fourth floor then down to his room. He opened the door to find Reita curled up in a ball with the blankets tossed. Kai sniffed the air and his eyes dilated from the overpowering scent of vanilla mixed with musky pheromones. He let out a low growl as he moved closer dropping to his knees.

Kai felt a flood of heat and excitement rush through his body as he crawled over Reita’s body. His sniffed at Reita’s sweaty neck as he rubbed his hips against the omega’s body. Reita whimpered feeling Kai over him. Feeling his mate rub against him then feeling Kai’s hand moving into his pants made him snap. Reita growled at Kai, startling him. The blonde dropped his head back down letting out a soft whimper. Kai cautiously sniffed his mate some more.

“Kai!” Reita whined. “It’s hot.”

Kai licked his lips as he pressed against his mate again, showing the effect Reita’s scent had on him at the moment. He let out a low growl, but Reita suddenly rolled over and pounced him. The blonde let out a loud snarl making Kai whine and back down. Reita whimpered before laying on Kai’s body. Kai bucked his hips earning another growl from his mate, so he groaned some more.

“I knew I smelt something.” Kyo said from the doorway. Kai immediately flipped his mate over and climbed over him protectively as he growled at the other alpha. Kai’s teeth and nails sharpened as his hair stood up. Kyo rolled his eyes and forced his pressure on the alpha. “Calm down. I’m just here to tell you he’s in heat.”

Kai stopped growling when Reita called for him again and he quickly cuddled up to his mate. Kyo rolled his eyes. “Come on. Let’s get you guys in to a sealed room before you make everyone in the factory horny. Reita has some serious pheromones going for him.”

Kai’s head was fogged by lust, but something Kyo was saying was getting to his subconscious because the next thing he realized he was doing, was carrying his mate down the stairs. Kyo was leading him down to the foyer and his aggression went into overdrive. He was growling at anyone who even looked at his mate. Kyo opened a door for them and shut it behind them, locking it up before pushing the spare key through the slot so Kai could use it later on. Kyo walked back down and clapped his hands to gathering group to disperse them. He walked back over to Yoshiki who was smiling.

“What?” Kyo asked.

“Nothing. Just those two have a lot to learn.”

Kyo nodded. “It is their first heat together. Kai was already trying to get into Reita pants upstairs.”

Yoshiki laughed. “Oh the torture of the first heat and not knowing a damn thing.”

“Kyo was so cute when he kept trying our first time.” Shinya mumbled with eyes shut. Kyo smirked crawling over his mate to nuzzle his neck.

“You were such a tease. I thought you were going kill me each time I tried.”

Shinya giggle. “You just didn’t know better than to wait until I was ready.”

“Every first heat is like that.” Yoshiki sighed. “The one time us alphas are at are the most skittish.”

“How long do you think it’ll take Kai to learn to wait?” Hide asked with a smirk.

“Definitely more than one heat.” Kyo joked.

~~~

            Aoi had been napping when Kai had brought Reita through, but was woken up by the alpha growling at everyone. As he sat up he looked down to find Kaoru had been sleeping next to him the whole. Aoi smiled as he laid back down to snuggle up to him. Kaoru’s arm wrapped around his waist to pull him closer. He blushed feeling the alpha’s warmth. He looked up to see Kaoru staring at him with tired eyes. Aoi felt safe and at peace being with Kaoru. He felt warm flow through his body whenever they looked at each other. He felt the happiest when he was being held by the alpha. He was just scared. Scared of being abandoned again. Scared of being treated like a slave, a toy, a piece of meat.

            He bit his lip thinking about this stuff every day trying to work up the courage to do it. He sensed Kaoru wanting it too. Aoi took a deep breath as he moved up a little bit to line his face up with Kaoru. Without saying a word, Aoi moved in and place a soft shaky kiss on Kaoru’s lips. He pulled away to find Kaoru staring wide eyes at him since it was the first time Aoi initiated a kiss. Before Aoi could react, Kaoru had pulled him into a more passionate kiss. Aoi clenched his hands against the alpha’s chest, but kissed back feeling his whole body shake and burn at the same time. They slowly pulled away with red cheeks and soft smiles. Kaoru pressed a soft kiss on Aoi’s forehead before hugging him tighter.

~~~

            That evening, Yoshiki made the announcement that his pack was to leave the next morning. It was bittersweet. They all started talking with each other to spend all the time they could with their friends. Koichi didn’t want to leave yet. He couldn’t, not with Tsuzuku being in the state that he’s in. So he as they gathered that night, he humbly requested both pack leaders that he stay with Kyo, at least until Tsuzuku was better. It took a little convincing, but Kyo finally agreed to let him only because it would help one of his omegas. Koichi couldn’t help but run to Tsuzuku to tell him the news. He carefully opened the door in case his friend was sleeping, but found something he wasn’t expecting. Tsuzuku was sitting in Ryoga’s lap, kissing him. Koichi smiled as he quietly made his exit. He would tell his friend later.

~~~

            Uruha was sitting next to his mate helping him eat. Uruha was tearing small pieces of meat and placing it at Ruki’s mouth. Ruki took the meat before licking Uruha’s finger making him smile. The alpha reached up and patted his mate’s thigh.

“Thank…you.”

Uruha smiled taking a bit of food. He continued feeding himself and his mate until the food was gone then laid down next to him. Ruki rubbed Uruha’s back as the omega laid there trying not to cry again. Ruki wanted to go back in time to do anything to change the outcome of what happened. To have his puppy still growing in his mate. To have Uruha smiling and not crying.

            Ruki was starting to doze off when Uruha suddenly jumped up holding a hand over his mouth. Before he could ask what was wrong, his mate ran out of the room. Fear and worry drove Ruki to throw his blankets off. He tried to stand up, but stumbled to the floor. He opted to crawling to get to his mate. He got out to the door gasping.

“Uru!” He cried out. “Uru!”

As he called for his lover he crawled the down the hall, but he didn’t make it far before Shinya and Byou came running towards him. They both knelt next to him worried out of their minds.

“What’s wrong, what happened?” Shinya asked.

“Something’s wrong…” Ruki coughed out gripping his neck. “…Uru…”

“Byou get him back in bed. I’ll find Uruha.” Shinya ordered. He started making his way down the hall, sniffing for the omega, but it didn’t take him long to find Uruha.

            Shinya heard hacking coming from the bathroom and opened the door to find Uruha huffing for air standing over the toilet.

“Are you okay?” Shinya asked startling him. Uruha nodded flushing the toilet.

“Yeah, just felt sick all of a sudden.” He said before rinsing out his mouth. When he turned around, Shinya walked up to him and placed a hand on his stomach. “Um, what are you doing?”

Shinya hummed and stepped back. “Change into your wolf form for me.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Uruha sighed and stayed still for a moment, but then looked up at Shinya. He closed his eyes to concentrate but nothing happened. He looked up at Shinya. “I don’t understand.”

“Uruha, I don’t think you lost your child.” Shinya said happily rubbing the omega’s stomach. “I mean we’ll have to get an ultrasound to be sure.”

“So, you’re saying I still have a puppy?”

“I believe so.”

Uruha let out a small laugh along with tears before hugging Shinya. “Ruki will be so happy.”

~~~

            Kai was pacing inside the room not taking his eyes off of Reita’s naked body. His omega was calling him, but if he approached the blonde he would get snapped at. Kai was getting frustrated in more ways than one. He threw his shirt off and let out a deep impatient growl, but Reita whimpered. Kai stopped moving as watched his omega curl up into a ball. He licked his lips as got down on all fours to crawl over to his mate. He sniffed Reita before crawling over him making him whine. Kai grabbed Reita’s hand and brought it down between his legs. Reita needed to know just how much Kai wanted him right now.

            Reita let out a small moan as he was turned over by his mate. The omega held his legs open exposing his half hard cock already starting to drip. Reita shivered as Kai moved down cautiously to kiss him on the lips. The blonde moaned into the kiss, but pulled back.

“Kai.” He moaned out, turning back over. He laid his chest down as he stuck his hips up in the air. He whimpered out his mate’s name again. Kai let out a low growl from his throat as he moved down kissing Reita’s back. As he did, Reita’s breathing became heavier.

            Kai moved up licking the blonde’s neck and kissed all while grinding against him. Reita gasped feeling his mate through the pants and he bit into the futon he was laying on.

“ _Kai_!” He called out and that was the last straw for the alpha. Kai sat up to quickly discard his pants, throwing them across the room. He leaned over Reita, pushing him down into the futon and Kai thrusted against him. Reita let out a low growl, but Kai bit down on his shoulder making him whimper. The omega reached behind him to dig his claws into his mate’s thigh. Kai let out a deep growl, but Reita growled back and Kai unlatched his teeth. He raised up so Reita pulled his hand away. Reita raised his hips, pushing against Kai’s hard on making him groan in frustration.

            Kai dug his claws into Reita’s shoulder and forced him to lay on his back. Reita dug his claws into his mate’s arms as Kai did the same all while they snarled at each other. Reita suddenly stopped and whimpered making Kai freeze. The alpha couldn’t move anymore. He stared at Reita, taking in his vanilla scent, his sweaty body, and his dilated eyes. Kai gently kissed his mate on the lips and Reita pushed back into the kiss. The omega thrusted his hips against Kai’s before pushing up on his chest. He pecked the alpha on the lips before turning back over.

            Reita slipped his hand under the pillow to grab a bottle of lube as he pressed his ass up against Kai’s hard on making him groan again. Reita pulled the two lube bottles out from under it. Kai’s nostrils flared as Reita called to him as he stared over his shoulder at his mate. Kai grabbed a bottle and squeezed lube over his fingers. He leaned over his mate and kissed Reita’s neck making him shiver. The brunette rubbed his finger between his omega’s cheeks rubbing his hole making him shiver. He slipped two of his fingers in and Reita moaned out pushing back against him.

            Kai took a big whiff of his mate sending pressure throughout his body. Reita moaned out, but Kai grabbed his face and forced him to turn so they could kiss. The omega pushed back onto his mate’s fingers. The need to be mounted was overbearing. Reita dropped his head on the futon and called out Kai’s name begging for his lover to enter him. Kai pushed more pressure into his mate as he pulled his fingers out and moved up. Kai rubbed his omega’s pale cheeks and spread them apart.

“Kai…” Reita gasped. “Please.”

Kai’s cock twitched at his mate’s begging. He positioned himself and slowly pushed. Reita cried out in pleasure, digging his claws into the futon. Kai grabbed Reita’s hips, digging his nails into the pale skin and began thrusting.

            Reita cried out feeling his heart race and burn. Something in his chest blossomed as Kai kept pushing into him. His mind became lightheaded as his head floated. He felt Kai sending him into a pressure sphere, but he felt his body on fire. Kai bared his teeth as he felt the same heat going through his body. The alpha laid his body on Reita’s back as he pounded into the blonde’s body. Reita’s thighs spread out more as he was pushed down by his alpha’s weight. He moaned out grabbing Kai’s arm. The brunette dug his claws into Reita’s skin, but his omega forced his arm down. He groaned, but realized what Reita want when his hand was moved between his mate’s legs.

            Kai gripped Reita’s dripping cock making him cry out. Reita squeezed his eyes shut feeling all the pleasure Kai was giving him. From behind, from the front, and inside his soul. It was too much for him to take all at once. He cried out coming over Kai’s hand. His alpha grunted when he tightened from his climax. His body dropped with Kai over him and started to growl, but his mate sent waves of pressure through his body to calm him. Reita moaned feeling his body relax, but still feeling Kai thrusting in him. He could easily stop his mate if wanted to, but Reita wanted Kai feel good, too.

            Reita shivered feeling Kai kissing behind his ear. He reached back and rubbed his fingers through Kai’s hair. The alpha bit down on Reita’s neck feeling his mate’s wants, his needs. Kai’s chest burned with the same desire and his stomach clenched. He groaned out feeling the wave of pleasure hitting him. Reita cried out feeling Kai thrusting hard one last time. He felt his mate coming inside him. He felt one with him, finally. Kai gasped out releasing the last of his seed inside his mate’s body before collapsing on top of him.

            They laid there breathing heavily for a few minutes before settling down. Kai was breathing in Reita’s scent the whole time and rubbing his mate’s side. He gently turned Reita over and started pressing soft kiss all his neck. Kai slowly moved down, kissing his omega’s chest, stomach, and as he moved lower Reita let out a low growl. He looked up at Reita, but the blonde hadn’t moved so he continued down to the half hard member. The blonde growled out some more, flexing out his fingers, but Kai smirked before placing a kiss on Reita’s cock. The omega whimpered when his mate wrapped his lips around the tip. Reita gasped feeling his alpha suck down on him.

~~~

            Tora was resting alone against the wall outside Nao’s room. The alpha had refused to socialize since the day Nao betrayed them and he continued to do it. Talking to Saga earlier that day was his first time. He watched quietly as Kai took Reita into their private room, as the packs settled, and as lights turned off. He waited as everyone gathered together and fell asleep. He waited.

            Saga was silent as he laid on the floor, but he heard Tora cough and knew it was time to move. He stood up and looked around the room for any movement before walking to Yoshiki. He stared at his leader and Hide sleeping quietly together. He sat down a piece of paper next to them, telling them thank you, before sneaking up to Kyo’s door.

He took a deep breath before pushing it open. Saga took slowly steady steps through the room until he made it up to the bed. Kyo was laying on his back with Shinya laying on top of him, both naked with a sheet barely covering their hips. He held his breath the whole time walking to the nightstand. He saw the shape of a key and grabbed it before taking his time getting out of the room. He slowly closed the door. Kyo’s eye peeked open and he rubbed down Shinya’s back to his rear to give a good squeeze.

            Saga climbed the stairs up to the overhang and snuck over to Tora to hand over the key. The alpha nodded before unlocking the door. He slipped inside and shut the door as Saga stood as a look out.

            Tora stepped in and found Nao sitting towards the wall with his hands tied behind his back. It pained to see the omega like this, but it was to be expected. He walked over to Nao and stood in front of him, but the omega wouldn’t acknowledge him. Tora sat in front of him finally earning a glare.

“Leave me alone.” Nao let out a low growl.

“Nao, listen me.” Tora ordered and the omega flinched. “I have to get you out of here. Kyo is going to kill you.”

“I don’t care.” Nao retorted. “Let him kill me. Have him put me out of my misery. Maybe then Kai will think about me.”

Something inside Tora snapped and he grabbed Nao by the neck then slammed him onto his back. Tora crawled on top of Nao and growled out. “Stop it! Why do you only see him? Why can’t you see me even when I’m standing right in front of you? _Why can’t you see me? See how much I love you!”_

Nao watched with wide eyes as Tora cried and leaned down to catch his lips. Nao whimpered and the alpha slowly pulled off sniffling.

“Please…” Tora cried. “Please just feel me. For once…just feel me.” Tora placed his forehead on Nao’s chest. He closed his eyes pushing pressure out, hoping to make the omega feel him.

“Please stop.” Nao whimpered. “Please don’t do this.”

Tora’s eyes widen. He felt fear, sadness and it hurt his heart. He gasped before kissing Nao’s neck and cheeks as the omega began to cry. Tora rubbed his fingers through Nao’s hair as he took in a deep breath. He could smell it. Nao’s scent of mint. The alpha grazed his lips over Nao’s tear stained cheeks.

“Why, Nao?”

The omega sniffled. “I don’t want to feel. I don’t want to feel anything anymore. It hurts too much, but you just go and do whatever you want.”

“Nao… you feel me don’t you?” He asked placing his hand on the brunette’s chest. “I know you do. I know you can feel me. Nao, we’re meant to be mates.”

“You left me. I became sick. I was bedridden and when I called you, you were gone. You left me. Instead of waiting, instead of us going to Dawn City together you left me. Kai was the only one who was by my side. He was there when you left.” Nao cried. “ _You left me”_

Tora pulled Nao up and held him tightly. “I had to. Nao, Yoshiki needed me to go with him. Saga convinced him to take us both to help out in his city and Kyo agreed to it. We were going to come back for you, but you had to wait. You couldn’t make that trip alone and we just couldn’t come get you.”

Nao fell limp as he continued to cry. “ _I know. When you left…it hurt. It hurt so much.”_

Tora rubbed his back. “I won’t leave you again. Kyo is going to kill you and if I’m going to save you then you’ll have to listen to me. I’m going to get you out of here, then we’re going to disappear and we won’t come back here or to Dawn city. We won’t have our packs, but we’ll be together.”

“Okay.” Nao whispered.

“I’m going to untie you, but have to do exactly what I say. If you do anything, I’ll be caught and…probably given the same sentence as you. Saga is helping, so it’ll be the same for him. I’m trusting you one last time.”

            Saga jumped when the door beside him open and he took a deep breath seeing Tora walk out holding Nao’s hand. Tora nodded and Saga started leading the way. As they walked passed a locked room they heard Reita cry out. They froze looking over the foyer, but only saw minimum movement. Nao pulled away to looked at the door. Tora couldn’t risk saying anything, but he held onto Nao’s hand.

            Nao took a deep breath and opened the slot to look inside. Kai was on top of Reita thrusting into him as the blonde moaned out. The alpha moved down to kiss the blonde and Nao slowly shut the slot. He took a shaky breath and looked back at Tora with teary eyes. Saga looked between them before getting a nod from the alpha to continue.

            They walked quietly down the steps, then through the foyer stepping over sleeping bodies to the door. Saga grabbed the handle and slowly turned it open. They watched as the door opened up enough for them to slip through and once all three were outside, Saga shut it. Nao took two steps out and sniffed the fresh air. The snow was turning to slush, but the cool night air turned the slush to ice. Nao took a step on the ice and slipped, but Tora caught him.

“Well, we better get moving.” Saga said and they looked at him with funny faces.

“You don’t have to.” Tora said, but the beta smiled.

“I’m not going to leave you guys. We were born from the same pack. We were always together as pups, we should stay together. No more separating.” Saga said happily. He reached out and grabbed Nao’s hand. “I won’t leave you again, either.”

Nao smiled. For the first time since Tora left, he had a real heartfelt smile. They all started running towards the gates changing into their wolf forms. Kicking up slush, ice, and snow as they headed down the streets, not looking back.

~~~

            Shinya yawned feeing Kyo rubbing him and he smiled as he sat up. He rubbed Kyo’s lips with his thumb before straddling his mate’s hips. Kyo hummed rubbing Shinya’s thighs.

“Are you sure about this?” Shinya asked, “Letting them go?”

“It’ll work out. Besides this is better for everyone. Tora won’t be depressed anymore and Saga will have his family back. Plus Nao might actually get some help from them.” Kyo grazed his fingers from Shinya’s chest down his stomach. “Let’s stop talking about that for now.” Kyo licked his lips gripping Shinya’s hard, dripping member. “Looks like you’re still excited.”

Shinya laughed rubbing his mate’s arms. “How about you do something about it then?”

“Only if you come and kiss me.” Kyo smirked.

Shinya smiled back leaning down to capture his mate’s lips.

~~~

            Kaoru woke up from the sound of the door closing. He rolled his eyes, but turned over on his side expecting to find a warm body, but found the futon empty. He sat up patting around it before looking around the room. He sniffed the air and stood up looking for his mate. He caught Aoi’s scent and followed it to a nearby room where the door was shut. Kaoru opened the door. He found Aoi sitting inside hunched over himself sniffling, but flinched when he realized he wasn’t alone. Kaoru closed the door with a sigh and sat down next to Aoi’s shaking body.

            Aoi sniffled as he laid his head on Kaoru’s shoulder. The alpha rubbed Aoi’s head before placing a soft kiss on the top of it.

“What’s wrong?” Kaoru finally asked. Aoi bit his bit as he sat up, but he grabbed Kaoru’s hand and moved it down. The alpha was shocked to find his hand being placed on Aoi’s erection. “Aoi?”

“I’m sorry. I woke up and I was like this. I got scared so I hid from you.”

Kaoru sighed, pulling his hand away. He pulled Aoi into a gentle hug. “I would never do anything you didn’t want me to.”

“But what if…I did want you to.” Aoi whimpered. “I’m just scared of doing it.”

“You don’t have to force yourself.” Kaoru whispered. “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.”

Aoi took a steady breath as he leaned his head against Kaoru’s chest and his alpha held him tightly.

~~~

            Fire crackled as a pack of twenty-seven wolves sat around it eating. Twenty-four of them were alphas and the other three were omegas tending to their needs. The pack leader sat against a tree as a chained up female omega was dancing in front of him. He could smell his second in command walking up to him and he huffed.

“Dogma.”

The leader sipped from his canister before looking at the other alpha. “Yes, Krivo?”

“We’ve scouted ahead. We’re about fifty miles from Ravenstone City.”

Dogma hummed with a nod. “I heard there’s some fun omegas in Mirror Cove. That’s on the way right?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s stop there and play before we get to work.” Dogma said motioning to the dancing omega. She stopped to walk to him and sat on his thighs. “Taking over cities can be a pain. Need to give them some motivation.”

“Sir?”

“A taste of what we’ll be having once we kill all the alphas in Ravenstone and take all the omegas. Go on now, I’m busy.”

The lackey ran off and Dogma watched as the omega stripped off her top before moving down. He smirked. ‘I’m coming Akira and soon I’ll have you back.’


	25. Trust

            Uruha’s leg was shaking as he sat quietly in the chair waiting for the Shinya to come in to see him. He was seriously anxious and part of that was coming from Ruki. His mate didn’t want him out, but it wasn’t like he was alone, Toshiya and a couple others had come along as his guards. The alpha was actually sitting in a chair next to the patient chair. Uruha rubbed his arm and sighed catching Toshiya’s attention.

“What?” The alpha asked.

Uruha kept his eyes down. “It’s just…Ruki wanted to see the first ultrasound”

“You told him right?”

“I...I didn’t want to get his hopes up. I just told him that Shinya wanted to check everything out.”

Just as he said that, Shinya opened the door with a smile and Byou was behind him pushing in an ultrasound machine. Uruha watched as the alpha hooked it up, but Shinya pushed him on his back and lifted up his shirt. Uruha took a deep breath hearing the machine start up. Shinya rubbed the omega’s flat stomach with a smile.

            Within a couple of minutes the machine was ready and Shinya squirted a clear gel on the honey blonde’s stomach. He pressed the wand into the gel and spread it all over Uruha’s lower abdomen. The omega took steady breathes as Shinya remained quiet, but then the beta smiled. He hit a key on the keyboard then turned the monitor around. He pointed at a small jelly bean shaped thing in picture.

“That’s your baby.” Shinya said and Uruha started crying with a huge smile on his face.

~~~

            Uruha stared down at the photo as he walked up to the factory. He was allowed to be off in his own world since he had Shinya and two alphas guarding him, but nothing happened. There was no sign of Hiro’s pack anywhere which surprised and worried Toshiya. They made it to the factory without any incident. The moment Uruha opened the door he ran in straight to his and Ruki’s room.

            Uruha swung the door open to find Shou changing Ruki’s neck bandages, but the alpha pushed him away. Shou knew when he wasn’t wanted, so he quickly left the room to give them privacy. Uruha laughed and cried at the same time as he dropped to his knees next to his mate. Ruki stared at him confused, but then Uruha handed the ultrasound photo to him.

Ruki looked at it then at Uruha. “What is this?”

Uruha laughed as he hugged Ruki tightly. “I’m still pregnant.”

Ruki gasped, hugged his mate tightly tears rolling down his cheeks. “How…I thought…”

“Shinya thinks I had twins. Thinks that if that was the case then I would have lost one them anyways. Male carriers have a hard time with twins so the body purges one of them.”

 Ruki rubbed his forehead against Uruha’s and laughed. “We’re still having a child.”

Uruha closed his eyes feeling his lover’s happiness and relief. They carefully laid down and held each other as they cuddled. Ruki reached his hand down to gently rub his mate’s stomach.

~~~

            Shinya watched as Uruha walked straight to Ruki’s room then headed up to his mate who was sitting quietly in his normal spot. The beta sat next to him, but laid his head on Kyo’s lap. The alpha gently rubbed his head as they looked at the foyer. It was quieter since Yoshiki left that morning.

Shinya had missed their farewells since he and Kyo had a long night, but Kyo passed Yoshiki’s farewells to him. Shinya will have to send an apology to the other pack for missing their goodbyes. He turned on his back and smiled up at Kyo. The alpha smiled back before leaning down to kiss Shinya on the lips. Kyo’s hand rubbed Shinya’s chest before moving down his pants and rubbed just inside them. Shinya laughed at the tickling feeling. He rubbed Kyo’s face as he pulled away with a smile.

“Should we go to our room?”

“You read my mind.” Kyo whispered.

~~~

            Tsuzuku groaned as rolled in his blankets up against Ryoga. He buried his face the blonde’s chest and took a deep breath. His body shivered feeling Ryoga rubbing his back and a warm sensation flowing through his body. Tsuzuku moved up to look his mate in the eye before leaning in to kiss him on the lips. Ryoga hugged him tightly as he pushed into the kiss and hummed.

            Tsuzuku pulled away slowly and rubbed Ryoga’s face. Ryoga slowly moved over Tsuzuku’s body, laying on top of him kissing him softly. Tsuzuku let out a small giggle as Ryoga rubbed his arm.

“Ryoga…” Tsuzuku whispered. “Touch me more.”

Ryoga smiled as he slid his hand slowly down Tsuzuku’s stomach. He rubbed his omega’s stomach before slipping his hand into Tsuzuku’s pants. The blonde felt his mate shaking in under him and stopped.

“We don’t have to do this.” He whispered.

Tsuzuku sniffled and quickly wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no you don’t have to be sorry. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll try again.”

Tsuzuku nodded as he rolled over. “I uh, just want to sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, let me just rest for now.” Tsuzuku sighed.

Ryoga caught the hint, feeling hurt and rejected, but he moved away. He the omega on the head before leaving the room.

            As Ryoga walked out he spotted Uruha running through the foyer and spotted Toshiya walking in with a glare. Ryoga, curious, decided to see what was up with the other alpha. He went up to Toshiya as he managed to stop Kyo and Shinya from going into their room.

“We need to talk.” Toshiya said.

Kyo groaned. “Make it quick.”

“Something isn’t right. Every time we go out, we have Hiro’s pack watching us, and they attacked us when we had omegas with us. Today, there was nothing, no attack, and no scouters. Something is up.”

“Toshiya,” Kyo sighed. “It was a good day. Scouters can’t be out here every day.”

“Kyo, please something is not right here. We need to see what’s going on.”

Kyo shook his head. “No, stay here. We’re safest together in our home.”

“Kyo,” Ryoga spoke up earning glares from the two of them. “Listen, I have to go out and get my things from my apartment before my landlord decides to throw it out. My lease is officially up in a couple of days, besides I can’t keep borrowing your clothes now can I? Why don’t I do some recon while I’m out? I mean, I’m only here to help Tsuzuku, I’m not really a part of your pack, but I don’t mind doing that for you.”

The pack leader gave him scrutinizing stare. “Fine, but Toshiya will be joining you.”

Ryoga nodded and turned away. “I’ll meet you out front then. I’m going to say bye to Tsuzuku real quick.”

As the blonde walked away, Kyo looked at Toshiya with a glare. “It’s about time we find out some information on this wolf. If anything seems off with him, do not let him back into this factory.”

“Kyo.” Shinya gasped. “Tsuzuku needs him.”

“Ryoga could still be a danger to my pack and I won’t allow my family to get hurt again.” Kyo said and walked off leaving Shinya behind.

Toshiya patted the beta’s shoulder. “Don’t worry he’ll cool off soon.”

“Be safe out there.” Shinya said. “And bring Ryoga back with you.”

“I will.” Toshiya said. He had walked out to find Ryoga standing by the gates waiting for him. The alpha nodded before they headed out into the city towards Ryoga’s apartment.

~~~

            They ended up in the middle of the city at the border of the two packs where they headed up to the third floor of some apartments. Toshiya studied everything as they walked into the empty apartment with two duffel bags sitting in front of a couch. Ryoga walked to them and picked them up. He looked around the room taking a deep breath before walking out. He sat his key in the mailbox by the door then they left the complex.

            Instead of heading back to the factory, they headed into Hiro’s territory sneaking around the buildings. Ryoga led the way to a tall apartment complex two streets from Hiro’s home. Toshiya watched as Ryoga walked up to the door and dropped his bags. The blonde opened up one of them and pulled out a card to swipe it through the door’s electronic lock. The doors clicked and they quickly opened them.

            Ryoga led the way up to the top floor where Ryoga walked up to another door and swiped the same keycard to get inside. They slipped into the empty condo and Toshiya watched as Ryoga walked to a nearby window with his bags where he dropped them. The blonde pulled out some binoculars from the same duffel bag and looked out the window. Ryoga put them down only to sit on the window sill then he looked back out.

            Toshiya sat next to him on the sill and saw that they had a great view of Hiro’s home. Ryoga reached into the same bag and pulled out a second pair of binoculars to hand them to the other alpha. Toshiya accepted them, but stared at Ryoga.

“So, military?” Toshiya asked and Ryoga froze, looking at the other alpha.

“What?”

“You were in the military right? Saying ‘recon’ instead of ‘scouting’, having an apartment lined up perfectly on the pack borders as to not catch too much attention from either side, having access to an extravagant condo. I know a lot about lock picking and breaking into places. That key you have is preprogramed, but its blank meaning it’s rewritable. You have hideouts on both sides of the border don’t you?”

Ryoga nodded. “Pretty observant.”

Toshiya sighed. “Before I met Kyo and Kaoru, I was a professional thief. I had to be observant or I’d be caught. I was scum who didn’t care about others and would intentional put others in harm’s way so I could get away. I fell though. I ended up on the run from some bad people and ended up running quite literally into Kaoru. He brought me in and gave me a chance. He and Kyo were the first ones to ever see me as a person. They were my first family and I didn’t want to lose them.”

            Ryoga scoffed as he rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid. I know you’re lying. Trying to convey a sappy story in order to connect with me somehow so that I open up to you. I heard the orders Kyo gave you.”

Toshiya’s eyes widen, but he smirked. “Well it was partly true. I was a professional thief, but I wouldn’t allow others to get hurt for my own gain.”

“Yeah I figured.” Ryoga snorted, but sighed. “I have a past that isn’t exactly pretty and I don’t really like talking about it. I wanted to leave because I was scared. I’m scared that if I stay anywhere for too long of a time I’ll be found and anyone I end up caring for will be killed. That’s why I decided to leave without telling Tsuzuku, but I just couldn’t do it.”

“Ryoga, what are you talking about? Who’s trying to kill you?” Toshiya asked.

 Ryoga stared up at the sky and took a deep breath. “When I was a kid, a strong wolf pack came into my town and took every wolf under eighteen then killed the rest. We were taken to this secret location with other wolves our age from other packs and were sold to the military. Then we were experimented on. At the beginning there was a little over a hundred of us. We were genetically modified so that we could see better, hear better, scent better, react faster, and be stronger.

            “I can adjust the way I smell things, focusing on one scent while blocking out others or make it to where I can’t smell at all which made me an excellent tracker. Anyways, the modifications killed about half of the wolves. After all the experiments, we were trained as military fighters and it was intense. A lot of my comrades died in the process. Then after all those years we were sent out into the field on dangerous missions. By that point there was only twenty-three of us.

            “I saw all of them slowly be killed on missions. The last mission I was on, it was just myself and one of my comrades. We were born from the same pack and I didn’t know him at first, but we did become friends.”

“Let me, guess he died on the last mission and that was the last straw for you.” Toshiya said.

Ryoga shook his head. “No, the mission was a success and we both lived. Most the time when we were all captives we were always talking about leaving the place for good. Just running and never turning back. Most the time there was too many of us, but when it came down to two of us it seemed more possible.

            “So we decided to take our chance and we made a run for it. We got out and we kept running. We knew they were chasing us, but for the first time ever we felt free. We made it about twenty miles before we decide to sit and rest. That was a mistake. We knew better, but we lit a fire and sat around it eating deer. We were being loud and laughing. At that moment it was perfect. I remember my friend looking and smiling at me…but then…”

Toshiya watched as Ryoga blinked away a few tears before continuing. “We were laughing and the next thing I knew I had his blood all over my face. He head had been blown off right in front of me. Something inside of me snapped and I lost it. I killed everyone who ever held us, experimented on us, and sent us out on missions. I destroyed the place I lived all my life and then I disappeared. I became a lone wolf jumping from place to place. Not belonging anywhere.”

“You can belong here.” Toshiya said.

“Kyo doesn’t want me here, but I can’t leave Tsuzuku either. I don’t know what to do.” Ryoga sighed looking out the window again. His face scrunched up. “The hell? Take a look at this.”

Toshiya looked through his binoculars out to Hiro’s place to find a large pack of wolves walking around the building. Hiro was leading them around talking with the new pack leader. The man was taller than Hiro, bigger than him too, and had brown spiked hair.

“What the hell is going on down there?” Toshiya asked.

“I know that man,” Ryoga growled.

“Who is he?” Toshiya asked.

“He goes by Dogma in the underground. His real identity is unknown.”

“Dogma?” Toshiya growled. “So he’s the one who hurt Reita. How do you know him?”

“Who do you think did the military’s dirty work?” Ryoga scoffed. “He has connections, that’s why he’s so strong and that’s why he can get away the shit that he does. That’s the wolf who killed my parents right in front of me. He’s the one who took us from our homes.”

“And he going to hurt all of us.”

The two alphas were startled by the sudden voice and turned to see Die standing behind them. They started growling at him, but he raised his hands up showing he meant not to fight, but Toshiya prepared himself anyways.

            “How the hell did you get in here?” The brunette snapped, then looked at Ryoga. “I thought you said you had some advanced shit done to you. Why didn’t you know he was in here?”

“I was busy looking out a window and talking to you. I can only concentrate on so much.” Ryoga snapped back.

“Hey,” Die caught their attention. “If you’re going to sneak into another territory you should really cover your scent up better.”

“What are you doing here?” Toshiya growled. “If you think you’re going to report us to your leader, you’re dead wrong.”

“Actually, I came here to warn you.” Die said, shocking the two other alphas.

~~~

            Kaoru yawned as he stretched out then looked down to find Aoi sleeping soundly next to him. They had fallen asleep in the same room last night. Kaoru petted Aoi’s head before stepping outside of the room expecting to see more people, but realized Yoshiki’s pack was already gone. He felt instantly guilty for not saying goodbye.

            He walked out further to the foyer where small groups were made up, but he was looking for Kyo. As he moved to the leader’s room, he heard some chatter coming from upstairs. He looked up to see Byou and Shou pushing a crate towards each other. Kaoru sighed deciding to see what the two were arguing about this time. As he climbed he listened to the two snapping at each other.

“Listen, it was your responsibility to make sure the mating room was stocked up.” Byou growled, “So you take it in there.”

“You’re the alpha, you have more defense going in there.” Shou snapped back at him pushing the small crate of goods back at the alpha.

“I have more dominance than you. Kai will attack me on sight. And you’re right, I’m the alpha you’re the omega. I’m ordering you to put the stuff in there.”

“What’s going on?” Kaoru sighed catching their attentions.

Byou rolled his eyes. “I’m handling it. Shou just forgot to stock up the room before Kai and Reita went in. He’s going to do it now. Aren’t you Shou?”

“No he’s not.” Kaoru said walking up to them. “Kai and Reita are in the middle of a mating ritual. Shou goes in he’ll disrupt the whole thing and send Reita into a frenzy. Normally the pack leader takes this job, but Kyo has his hands full right now.”

“So…” Byou hummed.

Kaoru took the crate and reached his hand out asking for the key to the room. Byou handed it over and stepped back as Kaoru unlocked the door. The alpha swung the door open quietly then slid the crate in before quickly shutting the door. The whole process caught Kai’s attention, but he barely had time to growl at them before the door was shut. Kaoru locked the door then handed the key back to Byou and walked away leaving the two staring at each other.

~~~

            Kaoru walked straight to the room Aoi was sleeping and closed the door behind him. He took steady breathes and rubbed his forehead as he swallowed hard.

“Damn it.” He whispered. He had forgotten to hold his breath when he opened the door and even though he was only exposed to the pheromones for a second it had a great effect on him.

“Kaoru?” Aoi asked softly as he sat up.

“Hey. Lay back down.”

Aoi sniffed the air and studied Kaoru’s body. Something was off with him- the way he was slouching, looking away with blushing cheeks, and how he was keeping his distance. Aoi moved his eyes down further and spotted something interesting. He bit his bottom lip as sat up on his hands and knees. Kaoru glanced over when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. Aoi was crawling to him with a devious smile on his face.

“What are you doing?” He asked. Aoi smiled as moved up to the alpha and started rubbing his thighs. “Aoi?”

“Let me.” He whispered. “I’d like to…help you with this.”

Kaoru nodded his head.

            The alpha watched as Aoi unbuckled his pants and pulled them down a little. The omega slipped his hand in to pull out the half hard erection. Kaoru threw his head back feeling Aoi stroking his member. Aoi watched as the erection slowly grew and listened to Kaoru’s heavy breathing. The omega reached his tongue out to lick the red tip making the alpha gasped.

“Aoi.” Kaoru looked down. “You don’t have to.”

“I want to.” He whispered before taking the member into his mouth. Kaoru closed his eyes placing his hand on the omega’s bobbing head. He let out a soft moan and Aoi smirked a little before working on his alpha again.

            Aoi kept bobbing his head, shivering whenever Kaoru sent subtle pressure through his body. He felt Kaoru’s gripping getting tighter in his hair and he glanced up. Kaoru’s eyebrows were knit together, he was still biting his lip, and his head down, but he was looking at Aoi with lidded eyes. His breathing was shaky as Aoi slowly pulled off before going back down.

“Aoi…” He grunted. “I’m close.”

Aoi began sucking harder and faster on the alpha’s cock. Kaoru grunted feeling his body heating up. His cock twitched and he couldn’t hold back. The omega stopped moving feeling the come shoot into his mouth. He sucked a little more before swallowing and letting the member fall out of his mouth. He watched Kaoru gasping for air as sweat rolled down his face. Aoi slowly raised up, placing kisses on Kaoru’s neck before capturing his lips. Kaoru moaned into the kiss as he reached behind his mate to grip his rear.

            Aoi let out a soft giggle when he felt Kaoru squeezing his cheeks. They pulled from the kiss and smiled at each other. Aoi stepped back, but held onto the alpha’s hand leading him to the middle of the room where they slowly laid down. Kaoru crawled over Aoi’s body, kissing his neck and sending pressure through his body. Aoi shivered feeling the alpha’s warm hands exploring his body and the soft lips tickling his skin. He let out soft moan as he felt Kaoru starting to get excited again. Aoi bucked his hips against Kaoru, showing him just how much this was affecting him.

~~~

            Kyo felt bad for snapping at Shinya earlier that day. They were so close to having a nice little continuation of the night before when he got pissed off. He really needed to work on his anger. Feeling a little cooled off though, he decided to head back to his mate, who was sitting in the foyer with Hiroto and Shou. They were talking about some medical supplies they needed to get by the end of the month. Kyo approached them, coughing to get their attention.

            Shinya sighed as he dismissed himself and followed Kyo to their room. Shinya sat on the bed expecting to be yelled at or something, but instead Kyo sat behind him and began massaging his shoulders. The pack leader moved in to kiss Shinya’s neck.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier.” Kyo whispered.

Shinya grabbed his mate’s hand and looked back at him with a smile. “Apologize to me properly.”

Kyo moved his mate to lay on his back and rubbed the blonde’s sides. Shinya wrapped his arms around Kyo’s neck to pull him down for a kiss. Their lips gently grazed each other when the door their room slammed open. Kyo let out a loud growl turning to who dared to disturb him. Toshiya and Ryoga were standing there gasping for air.

“Kyo.” Toshiya’s voice cracked a little. “We have to call a meeting. Now.”

~~~

             Kyo took his place as the alphas surround him and as Shinya sat next to him on the center. Kyo raised an eyebrow when he noticed Kaoru’s disheveled clothes that the alpha was trying to straighten out. Ruki was sitting by him rubbing his bandaged neck with tired eyes. The omegas were peaking nearby, but were sent away by a mere glance of the pack leader. Toshiya waved for Ryoga to join them, earning a scowl from Kyo, but allowed it for now.

“Well, what is so important that you disturbed us?”

“We got some intel on Hiro’s pack.” Ryoga stated, but Toshiya patted his arm to stay quiet and straightened up before speaking.

“Kyo, I need you to listen to everything I have to say before you react. We have eyes and ears inside Hiro’s pack. Die…has agreed to give of information in exchange for safety when this is all over.”

“What?” Melody gasped. “That wolf tried to rape and kidnap Reita.”

“We know, but he gave us some information as an act of good faith.”

“And what is this information.” Kyo asked.

            “Dogma is here.” The statement brought whispers around them, but Toshiya continued. “The deal that he and Hiro struck is that Dogma will help Hiro destroy our pack in exchange for Reita. Because Hiro couldn’t get Reita he is giving all the information Dogma needs to get to us. Die also says that there is something up Hiro. He’s already snuck his mate, Cazqui, out of the city to protect him. There’s more. Hiro has given him a layout of the factory as well as our escape plans. Their main goal is to kill you, Kyo, and the alphas. Then to take Reita back along with our omegas.”

            “When do they plan on attacking?” Kaoru asked.

“Die said that they didn’t have an exact day yet, but it’ll be soon. Dogma wants to get familiar with the city, so we might have a few days to prepare. Die has agreed to meet every night to give us updates. We already have a time and place set.”

“We can’t trust him.” Shinya said. “You can’t really trust him.”

“We don’t. Which is why we sat up the meeting place on our turf.” Toshiya said.

“I don’t know if that’s any better.” Melody sighed.

Toshiya nodded. “Die said that Dogma is already turning Hiro’s pack against him, he just doesn’t know it yet.”

“What numbers are we talking?” Kyo asked.

“Ryoga?” Toshiya asked.

The blonde nodded. “I can’t say the approximate amount, but definitely more than twice the size of your pack. We’ll be wiped out by sheer numbers alone.”

The alphas started mumbling between themselves before Kyo finally stood up to bring the attention to him. “Quiet. Everyone listen up.” He announced, his voice calling to the omegas as well. “This is our home, but is being threatened. This time, however, we cannot protect it. We’ll start preparations immediately to leave. Our home is important, but we can make a new one. Right now our safety, our lives take precedence. For now rest, we wake at first light.”

            The gathering was broken up as everyone began talking amongst themselves. Shinya stood next to Kyo and rubbed his back. The pack leader was looking over at Uruha when Ruki got up to go hug him. Kyo took Shinya’s hand and looked him in the eye.

“I won’t let it happen again.” He whispered.

            Aoi hugged Kaoru tightly burying his head in the alpha’s shoulder. Kaoru held him tightly as he cried.

“Don’t let them take me back.” He sniffled. “Please don’t let them get me.”

“I’ll protect you with my life. You won’t return to that place I swear.”

Aoi sniffled. “I’m scared.”

“I know.” Kaoru whispered, sending soothing waves of pressure though his mate’s body. “I know.”


	26. Fight or Run

_Reita was staring up at a large rose bush that he had never seen before. He felt something warm touch his hand, but he knew it was Kai grabbing his hand. He smiled as he looked at his mate standing next to him. Their wolf forms were lying next to each other in front of the bush sleeping soundly. Kai pulled Reita along until they fell into the soft grass with the blonde on top of his mate. Reita laughed before kissing Kai on the lips._

            Reita’s eyes opened slowly as he felt warmth surround him. He felt Kai who was laying with his head buried in the blonde’s neck. They were sprawled out naked on the futon cuddling in their sleep. Reita smiled as he petted his mate’s soft hair. Kai moaned a little before finally sitting up with droopy eyes. The two smiled at each other as they leaned in to kiss each other. Kai rubbed Reita’s arm before sitting up to gather some clothes so they could get dressed.

            Reita felt amazing. Even though he was tired he felt refreshed and awake to everything. He knew Kai was fatigued, but he watched as the alpha took care of his needs like water and food, then got their clothes ready so they could get dressed. Reita rewarded Kai with a kiss as they pulled their clothes on. The whole time Kai was burying his face in the omega’s neck and scenting him.

            They finally managed to pull apart from each other long enough to step out of the room. They were expected to be laughed at or greeted or something. What they didn’t expect to find was the pack preparing for a fight. Kai squeezed Reita’s hand as they started down the stairs only to run right into Uruha. The omega smiled sadly at them.

“What’s going on?” Kai asked.

“Kai.” Kyo shouted walking into the foyer. “Get you and Reita cleaned up. Uruha will catch you up on the situation. Come to me once you’re finished.”

            Reita shivered when Kai poured warm water over his head. The blonde hugged himself as Uruha told them what was going with Hiro and Dogma, but Kai rubbed his shoulders. He glared over at Uruha.

“How can Kyo trust Die after what he did to my mate.” Kai growled. “Plus he’s disappeared for two days after promising to help. I can’t believe this shit.”

“We don’t know what’s going on with that, but Toshiya and Ryoga have both confirmed Die’s information. They’ve been going out scouting out Hiro’s place every day.” Uruha said.

Reita sniffled. “So, what are we going to do? Kyo wouldn’t…he wouldn’t give me back would he?”

Kai pulled his mate into a hug. “Our leader would never do that to you and I would never let that happen.”

“We’re planning to sneak out of the city.” Uruha said, reassuring his friend, “We’ve been waiting for you guys to finish.”

“We’re leaving?” Kai gasped and Uruha nodded.

“It’s our safest chance. Kyo needs to go over the plan with you before we head out.”

            Kai finished cleaning Reita off as Uruha got them fresh clothes to wear. All the while Kai sent soothing pressure through his omega to keep him calm. Kai wouldn’t let Dogma take Reita back even he had to die protecting his mate. He wouldn’t let Reita suffer again. Once Uruha brought them clean clothes, Kai dried off Reita then himself. Uruha left them not wanting to interrupt their intimacy.

            Before they walked out of the bathroom, Kai pulled Reita against his body and pressed a kiss on his lips. The blonde gripped his alpha’s shirt as he moaned into the kiss, but it was short lived as Kai gently pulled away. They held hands as they walked out to the foyer where everyone was gathering the last of their things. Kai led the way over to Kyo, who was talking with Kaoru about avoiding a particular route to exit the city.

            Kyo noticed them and dismissed Kaoru before leading the two mates to sit down. He didn’t wait too long before explaining to them that the plan was for them all to sneak out of the city that night. They were going to separate into three groups and go through the back alleys to the city limits. They would regroup at the cabins outside the city where they’ll rest before heading out to Dawn City to meet up with Yoshiki’s pack.

            The plan seemed simple enough. Everybody will have to carry their weight in supplies needed for the trip and they’ll have to camp out in the forest for a couple of weeks, but wasn’t too bad. It seemed like a perfect plan, that is until Toshiya and Ryoga came running into the foyer in a panic. They started yelling for Kyo as they ran towards him causing everyone to look at them.  Kyo stood up to meet them as they were gasping for air. Toshiya grabbed Kyo’s shoulders as he coughed.

“Kyo,” He gasped. “They’re coming…here.”

“What?” He asked. “Explain, Toshiya.”

“Hiro and Dogma…and the pack…are heading this way. They’ll be here in minutes if we’re lucky.”

Everyone in the foyer began talking among each other as fear overcame their bodies. Reita gripped Kai’s hand. He stepped forward on shaky feet ignoring Kai’s voice. “Kyo,” He caught the pack leader’s attention. “Dogma is here for me. If I give myself—”

“Don’t even say it.” Kai growled. He pulled Reita back into his arms. “You’re not going back to him. Reita, you are our family. We protect our own and right now you’re in the most danger. I won’t let that…that wolf hurt you ever again.”

“We won’t let him take you back.” Uruha said stepping forward with Ruki behind him. Reita looked around to find the pack smiling at him determined to keep him and everyone else safe. He bit his lip, feeling his chest warm up from not only his mate, but from the love his pack.

            “Okay, so what do we do?” Kaoru asked breaking up the special moment.

“We fight.” Kyo said earning whispers, but he raised his hand. “At least long enough to give Kai and Reita a chance to get out of here. We need to buy time for them even if its five minutes. We push Hiro’s pack back then we retreat. We’ll have to separate through the city, but our destination is still the same. We meet in the cabins. Make sure to hide your scents and to lose anyone following before you get to the cabin. Get ready to fight.”

Everyone started running around as Kyo moved to Kai and Reita when Ruki dragged his mate over. “Uruha has to go with them.”

“As do you my friend.” Kyo said. “You’re still hurt from your last fight which means you’ll be a main target in this battle. You’ll join the three of them. You’ll take the sewers to the edge of the city. The smell should help cover your scents.”

            Ryoga was quick to run to Tsuzuku’s room. The omega was sitting with Koichi on the futon when he ran in. He felt bad for startling the omegas, but he couldn’t be gentle right now. He had to get Tsuzuku out of here. The blonde moved quickly to them.

“Get up, we have to move now.” He ordered. Tsuzuku whimpered, but was helped up by Koichi as Ryoga walked up to them. The alpha rubbed Tsuzuku’s cheek. “We have to get you out of The city. Hiro’s here for a fight.”

The omega began to shake, but Koichi grabbed his hand with a reassuring smile. “Tsu…”

“I won’t let him hurt you again.” Ryoga said. “I know you’re scared and I know this is hard, but you have to face your fears and go out there. I want you to go with Reita and Kai. They’ll be able to look after you, but you have to leave now.”

“Ryoga, please don’t leave me.” He whimpered and it sent a pain though the alpha’s heart. “You can’t leave me. You have to stay with me.”

“I have to help here.”

“No, you told me you would stay with me!” The omega whimpered.

Ryoga pulled Tsuzuku into a kiss. He slowly pulled away. “I love you. Please forgive me.”

Before Tsuzuku could ask what he was talking about, Ryoga punched him in the stomach making him gasp out before passing out. Koichi shouted and covered his mouth as Ryoga threw his mate over his shoulder.

            As they walked out of the room, Koichi was yelling at him for being so rough with Tsuzuku earning curious stares. Ryoga walked up to Kyo as he was dismissing Kai and the others, but he stopped them.

“You have to take Tsuzuku with you.” Ryoga said. “He can’t be around this fight.”

“What the hell did you do?” Shinya gasped.

“Kyo, they’re here!” Kaoru shouted from the door. Ryoga pushed Tsuzuku’s body onto Kai and the alpha took him from the blonde with a nod. Shinya handed them all a bag of medical supplies to take with them to the cabin. The small group started towards the back of the factory as everyone else started walking to the front door.

Kyo grabbed Shinya’s hand to stop him. “You should go with Kai.”

Shinya smiled. “I’m not leaving you to fight again. I’m going stay by your side like a mate should.”

Kyo kissed Shinya and squeezed his hand before whispering. “I love you.”

            Kai lead the way to the back of the factory to the back room. Once inside, Ruki and Reita lifted the lid to the sewer and began climbing down. Kai carefully handed Tsuzuku’s limp body down before Uruha climbed down. Kai moved inside before closing the lid over them. Once they were all together, Kai took Tsuzuku back over his shoulder and they jumped into the sewage water. They grunted from the smell, but they had to hide their scents as soon as possible. Ruki took the front with omegas in the middle and Kai taking the rear.

            Kyo was first to step out of the doors with Shinya next to him followed by his pack. In front of the factory stood about twenty-two wolves with Hiro and unfamiliar man who Kyo assumes is Dogma standing in their human forms. Kyo stepped forward with Shinya by his side as Hiro and Dogma walked up.

“You know this is an act of war, Hiro.” Kyo said.

“And it can be easily settled with some terms.” Hiro said smugly.

“What terms?” Kyo asked.

“I know you’ve heard of Dogma. Simply give Akira back to him, and Aoi back to me. Then we’ll happily back off.”

Aoi whimpered gripping Kaoru’s arm and he moved behind the alpha. Kyo glared at Dogma as he spoke. “There’s no one here by that name.”

“You know who we’re talking about.” Hiro snapped. “Don’t play stupid. Hand Reita over.”

“You come onto my territory and threaten my family with force. I won’t hand anyone over to you or him. You’ll have to kill me first.” At the statement the two packs started growling at each other.

Kaoru held Aoi behind him as he studied the pack in front of him before looking at Toshiya who had the same expression. This wasn’t right. There wasn’t as many wolves here as there should be not only that, it seems as if none of Hiro’s own pack was there.

            Hiro let out a low growl. “Well then…Kyo I challenge you for your pack and territory.”

Shinya squeezed Kyo’s hand, but his mate pulled away and growled. “Very well.”

Shinya knew his place and quickly backed up as Dogma moved back to his pack. The packs were letting out low growls, but Shinya was watching silently. He was worried, but he didn’t want his mate to feel it because he knew Kyo could win. Kaoru stood next to Shinya to give him some support. Aoi whimpered grabbing onto Kaoru’s arm, but the alpha sent some pressure through his omega to calm him down.

            Kyo and Hiro began circling each other as they changed into their wolf forms. The wind blew against Kyo’s black and brown fur as it raised on his neck. Hiro’s light brown fur was raised along his back. Their ears were both lowered as they growled and snapped at each other. They watched each other, every movement and breathe as they walked over the slushed snow. Kyo was patient, Hiro was not. The brown wolf finally jumped towards Kyo, but he backed up only to tackle Hiro to the ground. They dug their claws and fangs into each other’s skin ripping into each other.

            They pulled a part only to tackle each other once more. Blood splattered across the slush and Shinya whimpered. His mate was in pain and was angry, but Shinya could only watch as his alpha fought. He watched as Hiro ripped his fangs into Kyo’s neck, but Kyo wasn’t backing down. He felt Shinya’s worry and that drove him to fight harder. He wouldn’t lose and he wouldn’t let his mate get hurt because of him. Not again.

            Kyo jumped onto Hiro’s body forcing him on his back. Kyo dug his teeth into Hiro’s neck once more and the other alpha bit onto his head. They began rolling in the slush spreading blood across the ground until they finally broke apart, but Hiro bit onto Kyo’s hind leg. Kyo let out a surprise whimper and Shinya stepped forward, but Kaoru held him back. Kyo growled as Hiro tore into his leg, but the black wolf pulled his leg out of the other alpha’s mouth and buried his teeth into Hiro’s side. Hiro bit back again and they pulled back tearing at each other’s flesh.

            Kyo and Hiro both moved back on shaking legs with blood dripping from their mouths and wounds. They stared at each other growling, waiting… hoping for the other to fall. Kyo out a low deep growl as he stumbled a bit, but he managed to keep from falling. Shinya took a deep breath and reached out to his mate. Kyo felt Shinya, felt his hope, his confidence, and his love. He felt his mate and it was giving him strength to keep standing.

            Hiro let out a low growl as he started to charge and Kyo stood his ground. Hiro went in to bite, but Kyo was faster as he stepped to the side and bit onto Hiro’s neck. Kyo used the other wolf’s momentum to throw him to the ground. Hiro gasped for air as he laid there and he started to stand up when he suddenly collapsed. Kyo’s pack howled out and cheered.

Kyo growled at Hiro. “Leave.”

            Shinya smiled at his mate when he spotted a dark brown wolf charging towards them. The wolf jumped in the air to attack and Kyo wasn’t able to move fast enough. Shinya didn’t hesitate. He took two steps forward changing into his grey wolf form and jumping in the air to tackle the wolf to the ground. The two started tearing into each other’s bodies as both packs changed forms and charged in at each other. Kyo growled out ready to help his mate when a solid dark brown wolf stood in front of him. Dogma was growling at him.

            The moment Shinya tackled the attacking wolf Kaoru knew there was going to be a fight. He was already changing as the pack in front of him started charging in. He tackled the largest wolf near him and started digging his fangs in him. He wasn’t letting up even when another wolf started biting into his back and tearing at his skin. If he let off the wolf below him, he would be tackled and no doubt lose. However, that changed when the wolf on his back was pulled off. He could smell Aoi near him.

            Aoi was fighting with an alpha when he spotted Kaoru in trouble. Instead of fighting, Aoi pretended to run and charged right at the wolf on his mate tackling him to the ground. They growled snapping at each other and rolling on the ground.

            Both packs were fighting for their lives as they tore into each other’s skin, tackled, charged, and clawed at their opponents. Toshiya was fighting next to Ryoga as they pushed back the other wolves. Hitsugi, Shou, and Byou were holding their ground by Shinya, so he wouldn’t get overran. Melody and Miyavi were watching each other’s backs like always while they fought by Hiroto, Koichi, and IV.

            Blood splattered all over the ground as the two packs fought. Shinya felt a sudden pain and he heard Kyo whimper. He felt everything freeze around him hearing his mate in pain. Shinya looked over to see Dogma pinning Kyo to the ground by the neck. Shinya wouldn’t lose his mate. The beta took off in a full sprint jumping over Kaoru and his opponent in and he charged forward slamming right into Dogma’s body. Dogma was caught off guard and lost his grip on Kyo, but quickly took Shinya to the ground. Dogma was tearing into the beta’s side making him whimper out in pain. Kaoru grew angry seeing his friend being hurt.

            He gripped his jaw and yanked at the neck he had a hold of, breaking it. He growled and began to charge as Toshiya ran up beside him. They both attacked Dogma head on pulling him off of Shinya’s body. However, Toshiya was quickly pulled off by another wolf. Kyo tried to sit up seeing his mate lying still on the ground and he looked around unable to do anything as his pack was being hurt. He took in a deep breath and let out a loud deep howl, ordering his pack to retreat. His body fell limp as he changed back into his human body unconscious.

            Shinya sat up as the retreat was sound and whimpered seeing Kyo lying motionless on the ground. He whimpered using only his front legs to crawl to his mate where he licked Kyo’s bloody neck gently. Dogma threw Kaoru off to the side before walking towards Kyo and changing into his human form. He had some blood rolling down his arms and neck, but he kept a firm stance. He reached behind him and pulled a small gun out of his pants as he moved. Shinya growled seeing Dogma come closer, but before the alpha could lift the weapon, Toshiya tackled him to the ground. Kaoru ran up to Kyo in his human form and bent down.

“We have to run.” He said picking up Kyo’s limp body and Shinya nodded.

            Kyo’s pack started to run from the fights with the wolves chasing them close behind. The pack was forced to separate as they ran from the factory. Byou heard whimpering and spotted Shou and IV being pinned to the ground by a couple of alphas. Byou growled as he charge in slamming his body into them and the two omegas fought back enough to get out of their captors grasps. The three started running again and Byou pushed them to keep going.

            Dogma had changed forms again to fight Toshiya and easily slammed the alpha to the ground. His wolves came in to hold Toshiya down so Dogma could change back. Dogma looked around spotting Kyo’s pack retreating in all directions. He scoffed unable to spot the pack leader and he glared down at Toshiya. Dogma examined the situation. Hiro was gone probably snuck off during the commotion along with his few remaining followers; Akira was nowhere to be seen or smelled; and he lost his only chance of taking over another pack. Dogma picked up the gun he had dropped a couple feet away and turned to aim it at the one who ruined his chances of getting new wolves.

            Byou, Shou, and IV looked back when they weren’t being chased anymore. Byou ordered them to stay while he checked to see if they were being followed, but they came along anyways. They looked around the factory and spotted Toshiya being held down with Dogma looking over him. The pack leader was pointing the gun at the alpha. Growling startled the three of them and Byou pushed them to run before they were caught in another fight. They made it around the factory to the gates when they heard a gunshot echo. They stopped for a moment, but wolves begun chasing them again, so they had to run.

            Kai and the group made it to the end of the sewer line and kicked the crate open. They jumped down into the stream and Kai laid Tsuzuku down. They sat in the water and started smothering their bodies with mud. They had to make sure to cake themselves enough that theor scents were completely hidden.

“How far are the cabins from here?” Reita asked.

“About twenty miles.” Ruki answered.

As they started covering Tsuzuku with mud the omega stirred awake. He looked around before sitting up. When he noticed Kai next to him, he flinched, but the alpha raised his hands as to show nonaggression. Tsuzuku looked around.

“Where’s Ryoga?”

“Fighting.” Reita said. “So you could escape.”

Tsuzuku whimpered before crying out. Reita hugged him tightly as he broke down, but Ruki spoke up. “We have to keep moving. It’s not safe here.”

            Kaoru ran as fast as he could holding Kyo in his arms with Shinya beside them still in his wolf form. A couple of wolves had chased them for a while, but stopped as they got closer to the city limit. They needed to cover up their scents. As they came closer the city edge a couple of Hiro’s wolves came out of nowhere. Shinya was quick to tackle one to the ground as the second charged at Kaoru. Before he could react, Ryoga jumped over him and took down the second wolf. They were quick to defeat and the three started running again. Once they hit the forest, they covered their bodies with mud. Kaoru was worried about Aoi. They became separated in the chaos and he could only pray that his omega was safe.

            Melody lead the way as Miyavi, Koichi, and Hiroto followed her through the woods. They were caked with mud and leaves already, but even so they could run into trouble. They were on high alert listening and smelling around them for anything out of the ordinary. Koichi stepped down on an unstable rock and whimpered when the pressure brought pain to his ankle wound. He stumbled forward, but Hiroto was quick to grab him. Melody took a deep breath looking around her. They had to be careful. She waved her hand ordering them to keep moving.

            Hitsugi held his arm as he limped through the trees and Aoi walked next to him. Hitsugi saw Aoi being held by an alpha and he was quick to help the other omega, but his arm was injured in the process. Now Aoi felt awful, but Hitsugi told him not to worry about it. Instead they needed to focus on getting to the cabins. This was a dangerous situation for them. They were omegas alone in a forest with alphas looking for them. They needed to find some of their pack alphas and soon.

            Dogma walked into the factory as his pack searched through the rooms. He rubbed his torn up bloody shoulder as he glanced around the packed bags on the floor. He took a deep breath and a scent caught his attention. He followed his nose up to the overhang were there were some rooms with doors. He opened the one he followed the scent to. He let out a low growl smelling the vanilla pheromones.

“Akira…”

“Dogma.” Masashi walked up to him. “That smell will make the alphas go crazy if you keep it open like that.”

Dogma slammed the door and glared at the alpha. “He was here.”

The alpha nodded. “Hiro and the few followers he kept took off. Should we go after them?”

“No. Don’t waste your time on him. We need to focus on tracking Akira down. If we don’t catch his scent soon, we’ll lose him again.”

“What about this city?”

Dogma glared at him. “As we agreed. It’s yours, but I still have your services for another two days. I want my omega found.”

            Kai and his group finally made it to the two cabins. It had been a while since they last used them so they were a bit shabby looking. The windows were still intact so that was a relief, but it looked like time was taking its toll on them. Kai and Ruki quickly unlocked them and inspected them before letting the omegas go in. They quickly sat the cabins up in order to treat the wounded when they came. As they were setting up, they heard something outside. Kai and Ruki tiptoed to the door to inspect the area.

            A large brown bear was sniffing the ground outside the cabin. It looked up at them and roared out standing on its hind legs to look bigger. The alphas growled out changing their forms to try and scare the bear. Reita made Uruha stay back as he looked out the door. The two alphas were circling the bear growling at it as the beast roared at them. Reita stared terrified as the bear moved to strike at Kai. Ruki jumped up on its back biting into its back and Kai jumped on it to help.

            The bear swung around trying to knock them off. Its long claws scratched at Kai’s leg and managed to throw him off. Reita felt his heart pound as fear and anger filled his heart. He wouldn’t let his mate get hurt. Reita didn’t care how much it hurt, he didn’t hesitate to change into a wolf and charge in to help. All three were biting the bear as it swung its arms at them.

            Uruha and Tsuzuku watched from the window as the three wolves fought to protect them. Uruha rubbed his stomach biting his lip hoping his mate will be okay. He couldn’t be like Reita and help fight. Not with a child in his belly. Tsuzuku looked at Uruha then at his friends. They were fighting with all their might against this bear. Tsuzuku saw Uruha rubbing his stomach then moved his hand down to rub his own. He was scared. The moment Shinya said he could be pregnant he broke down. He didn’t want to have his rapist’s child. He refused to take a test and he refused to try to change forms because was scared to find out the truth.

            Reita whimpered when the bear bit down on his leg and threw him into a tree. Reita’s body laid still on the ground and Kai growled out as tore deeper into the bear’s skin. Uruha whimpered seeing his friend thrown and he started to cry a little. Tsuzuku gasped and gripped his chest. His heart was pounding and his chest was hurting. He couldn’t watch this anymore. He jumped to his feet and ran to the door. He wasn’t a weak omega in heat. He was a wolf and his pack needed him.

            He ran out letting out a loud growl as his body changed into his tan and white wolf form. He jumped into air and bit down on the bear’s head, digging his teeth into its eyes. The bear roared out swinging its arms out backing up on it hind legs. Reita suddenly ran up and attacked its neck taking it down to the ground. The four wolves tore into it until it stilled and they finally backed up. Reita walked over to Tsuzuku and licked behind his ear and Ruki gave him a lick on the neck. Kai watched over them as Tsuzuku licked his snout catching his breath.


	27. Injured, but Together

            Hitsugi stumbled over a rock and fell to the ground, but Aoi was next to him to help him up. The omega nodded in thanks as Aoi helped him to walk through the woods. The sun had fallen some time ago and that caused them to slow down greatly. Every time a twig snapped or the wind blew they flinched. They were scared to say the least. Aoi didn’t know where they were going and Hitsugi was hurt.

            As they moved on, they heard footsteps nearby. They quickly hid in some bushes and waited. They listened carefully as the footsteps came closer. Shadows were coming, but they couldn’t smell anything. As the figures came closer the omegas recognized the shapes and soon the faces. Aoi gasped in relief as he jumped up and started walking to them.

            Kaoru froze ready to defend himself, when Aoi and Hitsugi suddenly came out of the bushes. Kaoru felt relief flow through his body seeing his omega scratched up, but okay. Shinya and Ryoga were still wolves, but rubbed against the omegas to greet them. Aoi walked straight to Kaoru and planted a kiss on his lips.

“I was so worried.” Kaoru whispered rubbing his head against the omega. Kyo groaning in Kaoru’s arms interrupted their reunion. “Come on, we’re almost to the cabins. We can catch up there.”

~~~

            They continued their trek through the woods in silence. Shinya led the way with Ryoga bringing up the rear until they finally made it up to the familiar cabins. As they walked up they heard a deep growl and a black wolf covered in mud and blood came from the cabin, but it stopped growling. Shinya and Ryoga finally changed back as well, relieved to see more of their pack.

“The first cabin has a bed made up. We already have the medical supplies set up in there for you.” Kai said changing into his human form.

“Thank you.” Shinya said and Kaoru carried Kyo inside.

Ryoga walked up to Kai. “Tsu?”

“Pissed off, but safe. He’s in the second cabin.” Kai said.

            Reita held the door open for Kaoru, and the alpha laid Kyo down on the single bed once inside. Shinya started going through the bandages as Reita brought a metal bucket full of water. Shinya smiled and they both started working on washing Kyo’s body off.

“I’ll get more water for you.” Kaoru said. “Aoi, help them.”

The raven nodded and took a spare rag to wipe the mud off the pack leader. Kyo was groaning in pain as the wiped over his wounds. Shinya was shaking trying to keep his emotions together as he cleaned his injured mate.

~~~

            Ryoga knocked on the cabin door as he walked inside. Ruki was sitting next to the bed as Uruha slept soundly on it. Across from them Tsuzuku was sitting against the wall, but he glared at Ryoga as he stood up. Tsuzuku stormed out of the cabin, pushing his alpha to the side as he did. Ryoga followed him out to confront him, but before he could Tsuzuku punched him in the stomach. He groaned stepping back and Tsuzuku slapped him across the face. The omega grabbed Ryoga by his blonde hair and pulled him close to, surprisingly, kiss him.

            Tsuzuku pulled away with tears running down his cheeks and he placed his head on Ryoga’s shoulder. The alpha patted Tsuzuku’s back as he hugged him.

“So are you mad at me or—”

“Shut up.” Tsuzuku sniffled. “You’re an asshole. You knock me out and leave me after I told you not to. I told you not to leave me and you did it anyways!”

“I didn’t leave you.” Ryoga said. “I made it so you could leave me and so I could fight. I couldn’t concentrate if you were in danger, so I had to make sure you were away from all the fighting. I had to make sure you were safe. Even if I died, even if it made you hate me, I had to get you out of there.”

Tsuzuku shook his head. “Next time we fight together. No more lone wolf, okay. You have me now and I want to protect you, too. I’m getting better and soon I’ll be strong enough to fight again.”

“I know.” Ryoga whispered kissing the brunette’s cheek. “So, will you forgive me?”

Tsuzuku lightly punched his chest. “Sure.”

“Ryoga.” Kai spoke up. “You need to get your wounds treated. Then I’ll need your help keeping watch.”

The blonde nodded then looked at his omega. “Go rest. I’ll join you later when the others get here.”

~~~

            Shinya was shaking as he wrapped another stitched wound on Kyo’s arm. He was about halfway done when the door to the cabin opened up. Melody walked in with Miyavi, Hiroto, and Koichi. Most of the pack was here now. They were all injured, but the new arrivals sat off to the side waiting to be treated. Hiroto ignored his own injuries and gathered some things to help treat the wounded. Shinya ordered Aoi to help Hiroto and so they began treating the pack members. Miyavi had a nasty gash on his upper arm, and bite marks all over his body that needed tending to. Koichi’s ankle was bleeding nonstop and was swollen. He had a cut under his right eye and one on his head. His hands were torn up pretty bad too.

            Melody’s wounds weren’t that bad. Just a few bites on her sides that she treated herself before going outside to help guard the area. When she did, she finally forced Kaoru inside so he would get his injuries treated. Shinya was stitching a gash on Kyo’s side when he told Reita to tend to Kaoru. The blonde did what he was told and wrapped up the alpha in bandages like everyone else. They both shared a worried look though. Shinya was covered in blood and they knew most of it was his own. They also knew the beta wouldn’t rest or get treated until Kyo was in the clear.

~~~

            Ryoga kept smelling the air around him, differentiating the scents around him as well as familiarizing himself with the sounds of the woods. Within twenty minutes he knew about the deer sleeping nearby, the toads jumping in the nearby stream, the bats flying above them, and the owl hanging out in a low tree branch. He knew when something moved and what caused it to move. So when he heard something coming towards them, he knew it wasn’t the wind or the deer. It was more than one person walking.

            Ryoga waved at Kai and pointed at some trees. Melody walked up to them, all three ready to fight if a threat came, but three familiar faces came through instead. Byou, Shou, and IV almost collapsed seeing their pack. They were finally able to breath. Melody led them to the cabin to get their injuries tended to.

            Byou stepped in seeing the situation and went to Shinya first. He saw the beta’s condition and was instantly worried. Shinya’s face was pale and sweaty, his hands were shaky as they wrapped Kyo’s chest with a bandage. Byou patted Shinya’s shoulder.

“Let me finish. You need to be looked at.”

“No.” Shinya growled, but his eyes suddenly closed and he fell forward.

“Shit!” Byou gasped, catching. “Shou help me.”

The omega limped over to help lay Shinya out and both were quick to start wrapping the cuts and gashes. Shinya grunted as they prodded his injuries, but he was too weak awaken let alone protest.

~~~

            Shinya woke with blurry vision at first but after blinking a few times he was able to gain his sight. He felt thirsty and he slowly sat up only for a hand to push him back down. Reita was smiling down at him.

“Kyo…where?” Shinya asked.

“Next to you.” Reita said pointing up. Shinya noticed he was lying on the ground next to the bed so he started sitting up again, this time pushing Reita away when he tried to stop him. Shinya looked at Kyo sleeping soundly covered in bandages. The beta ignored is sore body and climbed on the bed to lay next to this mate.

“Do you need anything?” Reita whispered.

“Water.”

The blonde nodded and was quick to grab a cup of water for him. As he lifted Shinya’s head for him to drink, Kyo grunted. They both looked at him as he opened his eyes.

“Kyo.” Shinya gasped.

“Shinya.” The leader whispered and smiled.

~~~

            Kaoru looked up at the morning sky and smelled in the morning dew. He and the other alphas had been up all night on guard, but they still couldn’t rest. They were still close to the city and Dogma could find them any moment. Ryoga volunteered to periodically scout the area to make sure nobody was nearby. Since he was constantly moving they had him lay down to rest for a little bit. It was quiet until they heard Shinya yelling and they turned around as Kyo walked out of the cabin with his beta stomping behind.

“You need to be laying down!”

“Quiet Shinya!” Kyo snapped. “I’m well enough to check on my pack.”

Kaoru sighed as he walked over to his friend. “Kyo, you need to be resting. We have the watch under control.”

“Has everyone made it? Is anyone seriously hurt?”

“Yes, you are.” Shinya snapped. “You need to lay down.”

“As do you Shinya.” Kaoru said. “You both need to rest.”

“Has everyone made it here?” He asked once more and this time he earned a sad looked from his friend. “Kaoru?”

“Toshiya didn’t make it.”

“What?” Shinya gasped. Kaoru forgotten that this was his first time hearing it too.

“Byou, Shou, and IV saw Dogma aiming a gun at him. They didn’t see him shoot, but they heard it. Toshiya…would have made it here by now.”

“That bastard.” Kyo growled before grunting and falling forward. Kaoru helped to steady him. He helped Kyo back into the cabin to lay down and Shinya laid next to him. The two were out in seconds.

            As the day moved on, everyone did their part to help out. Kai, Hitsugi, and IV worked on the bear that was killed the night before. They needed the meat to eat that night. Melody led a small group to gather water and hunt for extra food. Hiroto, Shou, Aoi, and Reita were changing out bandages and making sure there were no infections.

            Uruha was sleeping most the day which was worrying Ruki to no end. He would wake his mate only for the honey blonde to go back to sleep. Ruki rubbed Uruha’s stomach before finally breaking down and getting Byou to come check on him. Ruki bit his thumb nail as Byou woke Uruha up for an examination. It was quick and Uruha was allowed to sleep again. Byou pulled Ruki out of the cabin with a smile.

“He’s fine. His pregnancy is going to be filled with fatigue and the situation right now had him tired out. Which is a lot better than being stressed out. Remember Ruki, male carriers have it harder than women do. Their bodies go through some major changes in a short period of time. Uruha will need his rest.”

Ruki nodded. “Just as long as he’s okay.”

“It’s always entertaining to watch fathers freak out over their mates and children.”

“Shup up.” Ruki said rolling his eyes.

Byou patted Ruki’s shoulder. “How’s your neck?”

“It’s fine, a little itchy.”

The blonde nodded. “I’ll change the bandages later, why don’t you go and lay with your mate. And don’t give me that tough guy act, we can all see you’re tired.”

Ruki sighed with a nod before retreating back into the cabin. The brunette quietly climbed onto the bed behind Uruha’s sleeping body where he hugged the omega. Uruha hummed as he turned over to snuggle up to Ruki’s body.

            Reita was sitting by the fire he just made for Kai to start cooking the bear meat. The blonde was staring into the fire off in his own world when his mate sat next to him. Kai pulled Reita into a hug and kiss.

“Why are you sad?” Kai whispered.

Reita buried his head into his alpha’s neck. “If I had never came here, Dogma wouldn’t have attacked you all, and he wouldn’t have killed Toshiya. If I hadn’t come here—”

“We wouldn’t have met.” Kai spoked. “We wouldn’t be together. You wouldn’t have found a family, you wouldn’t have found your inner wolf, and you wouldn’t be right here sitting with me. None of this is your fault. We all have pasts that haunt us eventually, but that doesn’t mean we should regret what we do.”

“But Toshiya…”

“Fought to protect what he loved. We would have all done the same. This happened because Dogma decided to create chaos not because you came here.”

Reita sniffled nodding his head. Kai held him close sending soothing waves of pressure into his body.

~~~

            Shinya woke up feeling his mate rubbing his arm. Kyo had been staring at the ceiling for some time now thinking. Wondering if he had made the right choice, if he could have changed anything, if he could have saved his friend.

“It’s not your fault Kyo.” Shinya whispered. He sat up to kiss his mate on the lips. “Toshiya would die a hundred times if it meant protecting his family.”

“I don’t understand, Shinya. Every time I chose to fight I lose someone, but if I choose not to fight then we would all die. I’ve started to doubt whether or not I’m suitable to be a pack leader. Whether or not I can protect my pack.”

“You just lost a good friend. That doesn’t mean you’ve made bad decisions. You’ve always done what was best for all of us and you still do. Things happen and we can’t always stop it. We can only move ahead.”

Kyo hugged Shinya tightly and kissed his forehead. “I know, I just don’t know how.”

“We’ll figure it out, we always have.”

“Thank you.”

~~~

            The fire crackled as the meat cooked over it. Reita was helping his mate pack up most of it for when they started their journey. Ruki and Uruha had come out to sit by the fire now that Uruha was feeling awake, but he was also very hungry. Uruha’s mouth was drooling at the sight of the cooked meat. His hand began to reach for it when Kaoru swatted the back of his head.

“You know better,” Kaoru snapped, but earned a low growl from Ruki.

“Don’t touch my mate, Kaoru.” The alpha snapped.

“He knows not to eat before Kyo does.” Kaoru growled out and Ruki stood up.

“Please stop you two.” Uruha whimpered, but went on deaf ears as they growled at each other. Reita looked Kai who was ignoring the scene as if nothing was happening

“Kai,” Reita said.

“Ignore them. Happens when tensions are high.”

They two continued to growl at each other and stepping closer. Both Uruha and Reita were worried a fight was about to break out. The two had their claws coming out and teeth growing.

            “What’s going on?” Kyo snapped earning everyone’s attention. He had heard the commotion from inside the cabin and came out with Shinya close to his side.

The two back off, Ruki sat down, and Kaoru nodded to the leader. Kai clapped his hands. “Just in time, Kyo. Your food just finished.”

Kyo took the hint and walked to the fire to sit down. Kai handed him and Shinya both a large leaf with cooked bear meat on them. Once they took the food, Kai passed food to Uruha before the alphas came in to eat. It was soon that everyone had food in their hands and finally eating for the first time since the attack the day before. Everyone’s hunger was showing except for one.

            Reita was picking at his food which didn’t go unnoticed. Kai rubbed his back. “You need to eat.” He ordered softly and Reita shivered.

“Kai…”

“I know, but you need your strength.”

Reita nodded and started chewing on some of the meat. Uruha on the other hand had inhaled his meal and was picking from Ruki’s food. The alpha happily gave his mate more food. Uruha felt so spoiled and happy until his stomach churned. As Reita picked at his food, Uruha jumped up and ran to the bushes to puke. Ruki was quick to run after him and Shinya moved to get up, but Byou waved for him to stay.

            Uruha was apologizing to Ruki for wasting the food while Byou told him it was a normal symptom. They kept telling him it was alright even though, but kept saying ‘sorry’ over and over. They were finishing eating and spreading out a bit when Ryoga became alert. He sniffed the air smelling blood and then he heard grunting. He caught everyone’s attention and everyone became alert, ready for another attack. Ruki stood in front of Uruha prepared to run with him as the bushes shook and loud grunt came.

“Damn it, can’t you walk straight?” A man snapped.

“Yeah if you knew how to _fucking_ _help_ someone walk.” A familiar voice spoke.

Kyo stepped closer as the two forms walked into the opening and they all got the shock of their lives. Standing in front of them was Die holding up Toshiya as they bickered at each other.

“Toshiya!” The pack shouted seeing him alive, bloody and hurt, but alive.

“Good, we made it.” Die gasped before collapsing, taking Toshiya down with him.

            Toshiya grunted when he hit the ground, but Shinya and Byou were quick to get to him. They flipped Toshiya over and the alpha groaned some more.

“I thought you were killed.” Byou gasped.

“I would have been,” Toshiya said gasping for air, “If that…kind asshole hadn’t saved me.”

They looked at Die who was passed out on the ground. Shinya nodded. “Let’s get you inside and cleaned up.”

“Shinya.” Toshiya said. “I’ll be okay. Die was shot. He needs help first.”

They were all shocked. Toshiya was telling them that Die needed their help. Die, the guy from Hiro’s pack who has attacked them, hurt them, and fought them. Shinya and Byou looked at Die then over at Kyo. The pack leader walked over to them and Toshiya spoke up again.

“Kyo, he saved me. He helped us. It’s only right.”

Kyo nodded. “Treat him.”

            Shinya had Kaoru help Byou take Die into the cabin while Hiroto and Shou took care of Toshiya. They helped the alpha to the cabin and laid him on a blanket on the floor. Shou cleaned up the wound on the alpha’s leg while Hiroto took care of the wound on his arm. Die was laid on the bed Kyo had been on earlier that day and his shirt had been cut off. A makeshift bandage was wrapped around his stomach, so they cut it off as well. Shinya looked at the hole in his lower stomach and prodded it making Die groan. The black and red headed wolf woke for a moment before passing out again.

“It’s not serious.” Shinya said. “Went through muscle, missed all his organs. We need to clean it out though.”

Byou was already getting everything ready as he listened to Shinya diagnosing the wound.

            Toshiya was treated and laying quietly as Shinya finished helping Die. Kyo had come in sitting on the edge of the bed while, Shinya and Byou settled on the floor. Shou and Hiroto left the cabin leaving them be, but Kai stood by the door glaring at Die.

“Toshiya, what happened?” Byou asked.

The alpha sighed as he slowly sat up and leaned against the wall. “I got caught and held down. I tried to escape with everyone else, but I wasn’t strong enough. Dogma was just about to kill me, when this crazy guy came out of nowhere.” He said looking right at Die.

~~ _the fight~~_

            _Toshiya growled as wolves dug their fangs into his body holding him down to the ground. He watched as Dogma glared at him and lifted the gun right at his face. Toshiya growled at the pack leader. He wasn’t going to die in fear, but fighting to the last second. He watched as Dogma moved to squeeze the trigger. Dogma turned as a loud growl sounded and a brown and white wolf came jumping through the air. Die growled as he bit down on Dogma’s shoulder and the pack leader squeezed the trigger. The gun went off as they fell to the ground._

_One of the wolves holding Toshiya down let go to help Dogma and it was enough that Toshiya could pull away from the wolves’ grasps. He jumped to his feet and tackled the brown wolf before it could attack Die. Toshiya took off though and snapped at Die as he ran past him and the other alpha took off as well. They started running away from the wolves and jumped over some that tried to block them off._

_They hauled ass through the streets and noticed a crowd coming and quickly changed into their human forms. They change before anyone spotted them and they started walking to avoid attention bringing to them. They heard a scream in front of them. A woman was pointing at three wolves running towards them and they took off running with the crowd. The wolves started chasing them, but police officers came between them with guns drawn._

_Toshiya heard shooting behind him as he led the way to an alley. Die was behind him as he ran up to a trash can. He ripped open a trash bag and poured the contents on himself._

_“That’s nasty.” Die said._

_“Yeah? I rather stink than those wolves hunt me down by my scent. I don’t know if you noticed, but they outnumber us.”_

_Die walked up to rub trash over his clothes. He looked down when he felt something wet. He lifted his black shirt to see the gunshot wound then dropped his shirt before Toshiya noticed. They covered up more before walking away._

_Toshiya led the way as they moved through the crowds until they made it to an apartment complex. They went up to the fifth floor earning disgusted stares by the people they passed. Die watched as Toshiya grabbed a hidden key from under a mat and unlocked the door. They got inside and locked the door._

_“Ryoga used this place so there should be some clothes. Let’s clean up.” Toshiya said. He threw off his clothes and walked to the bathroom and started the shower. He scrubbed off the trash smell and got out. He wrapped his waist with a towel before walking out finding Die still standing in the same spot. “Shower’s free.”_

_Die nodded as he started to move, but grunted and fell back into the wall. He grabbed his stomach on instinct and gasped. Toshiya’s ears perked from the sound and he looked towards the other wolf._

_The alpha walked over seeing blood smeared behind Die’s body. He moved Die’s hand to the side and lifted the black bloody shirt to see the wound. Die pushed him away._

_“Get some bandages while I wash off.” He said going into the bathroom. Toshiya rolled his eyes, but started going through the whole apartment looking for something he could use, but Ryoga didn’t have medical supplies here. Toshiya had got himself dressed before Die stepped out with a towel around his waist which was already becoming red as the blood streamed down. He went straight to Die with a folded up shirt and pressed it against the bloody wound then pressed a second one where the bullet had exited._

_“Hold it.” Toshiya ordered and the other alpha let out a low growl for it. Toshiya grabbed a torn strip of towel and used it tie the folded shirts in place. “There’s some clothes in the living room for you.”_

_Die smirked as he grazed a finger on Toshiya’s arm. He let the towel from his waist as he walked through the apartment._

_“Doesn’t work on me.” Toshiya snapped, but he let his eyes fell on the other alpha’s thin body. That when he saw a tattoo on the middle of his back just below his neck. It was a decent sized barcode with the numbers: 20193 underneath it. Toshiya looked away pretending he didn’t see it._

_They decided to rest there for the night, but Toshiya couldn’t sleep. He kept checking on Die’s wound to make sure he wasn’t bleeding too much. Which annoyed the other alpha a little bit, but he ignored it. It was silent for a while when Toshiya let out a heavy sigh._

_“Why did you disappear for two days?” He asked._

_Die turned his head to look over at his companion. “Sorry about that. When I went to meet up with you guys, I noticed I was being followed. I confronted the wolf and we got into a bit of a scuffle. I tore him up pretty bad, but a few of Dogma’s pack had come out of nowhere and chased me. I managed to lose them, but they were looking all over for me. I couldn’t risk it.”_

_Toshiya stared up into the darkness and hummed. “Oh.”  
“Yeah… can we sleep now?”_

_“Sure.”_

_When Toshiya did fall asleep, he stayed asleep until the next afternoon. When woke up it was with a start and looked around. Die was awake looking out the window, holding his stomach. Toshiya changed the makeshift bandage and they decided to head out._

_They walked through the city streets and crowds keeping an eye for enemy wolves. It was hard though being surrounded by so many scents. They moved through towards the city limit when they noticed that they were being followed. Toshiya knew Die wasn’t in a position to fight. They kept moving though until they walked to the edge of the city and away from any people. That’s when three brown wolves walked out._

_Toshiya growled showing he was ready for another round. Die growled out at them as they moved closer. The two alphas quickly changed as the three wolves came charging in. One tackled Die as two took down Toshiya. They tore into each other fighting for their lives. Toshiya whimpered out as one of the wolves bit down on his leg and ripped into it. Die was quick to get on top of his opponent and bit into the soft tissue of its lower neck._

_The brown wolf stopped moving under Die’s grip and he backed up. Toshiya was rolling on the ground fighting off the two wolves when Die ran in to pull one off. From then on it was a fair match and Toshiya quickly took out his opponent before helping Die finish off the third one. The two quickly ran off into the woods where they stopped to roll in some mud and leaves. They changed into their human forms as they took a minute to breathe. Toshiya went to stand up, but stumbled and fell when he put too much pressure on his leg._

_Die laughed as he walked over to the other alpha. “Hurt?”_

_“Shut up.” Toshiya snapped. “Help me up.”_

_“Why?” Die said sitting down. “I got you out of the city. You can go find your pack now. I have to leave while I still have the chance.”_

_“Help me get to my pack,” Toshiya said. “And I’ll get Shinya to treat your wound. You can’t get far in your condition. You’ll bleed out.”_

_Die smirked. “Yeah? Well when I do get you to your pack they’ll kill me. I’m your enemy, remember?”_

_“If you were my enemy, then why did you save me?”_

_“To piss off Dogma. He took my home too.”_

_“So you’re going back to Hiro then?” Toshiya asked turning over._

_“No. He betrayed us. He allowed another pack to come in and control us. I can’t follow a leader that relies on another’s strength.”_

_“Kyo will help you if I tell him you saved me.” Toshiya said._

_“Yeah right.”_

_“I know him.” The alpha sighed. “Die, we trusted you with information you gave us about Dogma and your pack. Now I want you to trust me.”_

                                                            ~~Present~~

            Kyo had everyone leave the room so the two could rest in peace. He was going to allow Die to stay for now as to keep Toshiya’s word. His pack was not comfortable about this in the least and Kai was enraged by it. Reita had pulled him away to the edge of the woods and had him lay down. The blonde had crawled over him and started kissing him. Kai rubbed Reita’s thighs up to grip his rear. Kyo smiled, happy Reita was doing his job in keeping his mate calm.

“Kyo.” Hitsugi sighed walking up to him. The omega looked down scratching his head, sweat dripping down his face. “I know this is bad timing, but…I think my heat is about to start.”

“Oh shit.” Kyo said stepping back. He looked around the area and rubbed his face. This was not good.


	28. Not What it Seems

            Ruki was aggravated. He wanted to be sitting with his mate in a cabin cuddling not on guard duty with Hitsugi dealing with his heat. They had already been here too long as it is and they have to wait for the omega to finish his heat which lasted five days. It was the final day so Kyo was preparing to leave the minute Hitsugi was recovered and cleaned up. They’ve been lucky to have anyone find them, but they knew it was only amount of time and Dogma was hunting. Everyone had packed up supplies that had been stored in the cabins. Luckily everything was still there and useable. They had to get moving from the area.

            Die was looking around the woods before turning to sit down when he found Kai standing there glaring at him. The brunette was letting out a low growl as they stared at each other. Kai has managed to keep away from the other alpha, but the thought of Die being anywhere near his mate sent waves of anger through his body.

“Do you need something?” Die asked.

“Leave.” Kai snapped. “Get away from my family before I make you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Yeah, it is.”

            Kyo was sitting in the second cabin humming as Shinya massaged his shoulders and Kaoru sat across from him. Aoi was laying by him with his head on the alpha’s lap. They had been talking about where to go. Kyo had mentioned heading to Yoshiki’s, but he didn’t want to bother his friends nor put them in danger. He thought about a place, but it had some painful memories for them. Which is why he had Kaoru sit with him and his mate. He wanted to go back to their first home. Kaoru’s home.

            The alpha was put off by the idea, but his family was in danger. The thought of returning to that place sent a particular pain through his body that he thought nobody could understand. Kyo could though. He was there and he saw what happened to Kaoru. It was okay if Kaoru didn’t want to return, they could find somewhere else to go. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Before Kaoru could give him an answer though, they heard shouting from outside. They were quick to run out expecting to be under attack, but found a different fight.

            Kai and Die were circling each other growing threatening to attack. Reita was to the side begging Kai to stop and Toshiya was between them trying to prevent them from attacking each other. Kyo growled out walking to them.

“What is going on?” Kyo snapped out. The two alphas stopped moving, but kept staring at each other with death glares. “Well?”

Kai changed back and snapped at his pack leader. “Why is he here? He’s been treated, now he needs to leave.”

“Kai he saved my life.” Toshiya snapped. “Hell, he warned us about Dogma’s attack.”

“He tried to rape my mate!”

“I didn’t try to rape him.” Die growled out, back in his human form. “I was ordered to do it, but I was just putting on a show. Right, Reita?”

Kai growled when Die acknowledged his mate. Reita grabbed Kai’s arm and pulled him to try to get him away from the situation. Kyo walked between them and let out a low bark. “Silence the both of you. Die has helped us and we will show him the same kindness.”

“You can’t be serious Kyo.” Kai snapped.

“I am the pack leader.” Kyo growled. “And I make the decisions here. Reita take you mate and have him cool off.”

Reita nodded and grabbed Kai’s hand to pull him away. The alpha resisted at first, but Reita leaned in and whispered in his ear. Kai looked at the blonde and sighed, finally allowing himself to be pulled away. Kyo glared at Die, but turned to walk away.

~~~

            Hitsugi yawned as he stepped out of the cabin stretching his body out. Ruki let out a quiet ‘finally’ before whistling out to catch everyone’s attention. Melody and Miyavi both ran over to the omega to take him to the stream so he could clean off his scent before he attracted unneeded attention. While they did that, the pack started preparing to leave. They didn’t have a destination quite yet, but they knew they had to get away from there. As they were getting ready head out, Kaoru approached Kyo.

“I think…I think we should go.” Kaoru said and Kyo gave him a confused look, so the alpha sighed. “Let’s go home.”

Kyo nodded happy they finally had a place to go to.

            Die watched as the pack scattered around working together to get moving. He never had that kind of unity with his pack. He scratched his head wondering where he should go now. What city should he try heading out to? As he was thinking, Toshiya hit him on the arm.

“So?”

“So, what?”

“Are you coming with us?” He asked.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure the only thing preventing any of your pack from killing me is the bullet I took for you.” Die said with a laugh. “No, I’m going to head out my own way.”

“You could come with us.” Toshiya said. “I bet if you asked, Kyo would let you.”

“You all speak highly of him you know. Always saying Kyo this, Kyo that.” Die laughed. “Eventually he has to say no.”

“He may surprise you.”

“Why do you want me to come?” He asked. “I saved you, but you’ve repaid your debt. You don’t owe me anything.”

“You’ve helped us for the past week. Why?”

Die shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I didn’t want Dogma to win.”

“You had more confidence in us than in your own pack.” Toshiya said. “You should come with us.”

            Once Hitsugi was back and clean the pack started to gather to leave. Toshiya looked back at Die who was sitting on a log at the edge of the woods. He looked at Kyo who sighed. The pack leader whistled catching Die’s attention. Kyo waved for him to come over so he walked over to the group. Kai watched with a glare as the alpha came closer.

“Die,” Kyo said, “to be a member of this pack you have to pull your own weight. You work you eat, you don’t work you don’t eat. It’s that simple. You, however, have to earn your place among my pack. You’ve been an enemy that we have fought so there is tension between us and you. But if you’re willing to prove yourself, you may try to earn our trust.”

Die looked around at the glares and wary stares then at Toshiya who nodded. He looked at Kyo. “Sure, why not.”

~~~

            That’s how their day started and now they were walking through the woods as a pack. Reita kept Kai close by and at the front away from Die who decided to stay at the back, but he wasn’t alone. Melody was walking by him, not ready to trust him near her family. Which he could understand, but he was pretty annoyed at how she kept staring at him. Ryoga kept Tsuzuku at the front and away from Die. He wanted to join Kai and flat out kill Die for even being near them. Tsuzuku was surprisingly calm which worried Ryoga a little bit.

Kaoru hadn’t really thought about the whole thing until Aoi suddenly grabbed his hand. He looked at the omega seeing him overly nervous and quiet. It dawned on Kaoru that Aoi was probably panicking on the inside being around an alpha who tortured him. Kaoru suddenly felt angry and glared back at Die. He tightened his grip on Aoi’s hand bringing him closer to his body. The pack continued to stumble through the woods throughout the day in silence. Most of it awkward because of their new addition.

Kyo kept watch over his pack wondering if he made another bad decision or not. They moved closer together walking over the steeping hills. Aoi rubbed his head as the sun beamed down through the trees above them. As he looked up through the branches he suddenly ran into someone. Kyo turned to give him a stern look and he quickly backed up next to Kaoru who was smirking. They all looked ahead to see why their leader stopped.

In front of them was an old riverbed, or what was left of it, but now it was a gaping hole in the earth. Ryoga looked down it with Toshiya, both estimated it was a twenty foot drop to the bottom where a small insignificant stream now flowed. They looked across to the other side estimating it to be ten feet wide, an easy jump for any wolf. That’s how they were going to get across too, which angered Ruki.

“How the hell is Uruha going to get across?” Ruki snapped. “We might as well all climb down together and walk across.”

“Or,” Toshiya said with a smile. “He can hang on to your back.”

“Are you insane?”

“What, scared you might drop your mate? Or are you worried you’re not strong enough to carry him?” Toshiya provoked and Ruki simply glared at him.

            The pack changed forms and Kyo was the first to make the leap. He landed with ease on the other side and was followed by Shinya, then Kaoru and Melody. Next Byou took the leap, but stumbled when he landed earning snickers from everyone. Aoi ran next with Shou beside him, both landing perfectly on the other side. Miyavi took the next leap with IV, then Tsuzuku followed up with Ryoga right behind him. The omega dropped when he landed, but quickly recovered with Ryoga’s help. Koichi quickly followed so he could check on his friend. Ruki nudged at Uruha to climb on his back so they could go next. They needed members on both sides just in case they didn’t make it across, but Ruki wasn’t worried.

            Uruha sat on Ruki’s back, holding onto the scruff of his neck and squeezing his legs against his mate’s sides to keep his balance. Ruki backed up a bit to gain some extra speed, then took off in a full sprint. He waited until he got to the edge to push off. As he did, he felt his paws slip a little, but he had enough momentum to get across. He landed hard and rolled, slinging Uruha off his body. Everyone shouted seeing the omega fly off his mate and land hard on the ground. Shinya was quick to run to his side with Byou. Kaoru moved to help Ruki, but the alpha jumped up to run to his mate.

            Uruha sat up laughing as Ruki sniffed his neck then his stomach. The honey blonde assured everyone he and his baby were both okay which sent relief through the entire pack. Kai nuzzled Reita’s neck a bit and the white wolf licked his snout. Reita took a few steps back before taking off towards the edge. As he made it to the edge he went to push off, but instead of his body going up, his legs went down.

            The pack watched as the edge of dirt collapsed under Reita’s feet and Kai howled out to his mate running to the edge. Reita whimpered out rolling down the side and into the rocks at the bottom. Kai looked the edged to see his mate stop moving and change into his human form.

“Reita!” He whimpered out. His body shook as he looked for a way down.

“Kai, we’ll throw you a rope, hang on.” Kyo shouted, but Kai ignored him. The black wolf leaped down, landing not so gently at the bottom, but he still missed the rocks. He was quick to change as he ran to his mate’s side.

“Don’t move him!” Shinya snapped before Kai could even touch Reita’s unconscious body. “You can hurt him. Just wait until we get down there.”

Kai whimpered looking at Reita’s bloody head. He placed his head on the blonde’s chest. “Reita…please, wake up.”

~~~

              _Reita opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around at the empty area around him. He was alone, not only that he was nowhere near a forest. He looked around at the white hills and as the wind pushed snows in the air. He cupped his hand into the snow and was confused. His inner wolf came up next to him and nudged his leg. Reita watched as his wolf started walking forward so he decided to follow it over the hill. When he got to the top he was shocked to see many small cabins around a larger one._

_“Akira!” A woman shouted and Reita flinched. A beautiful woman walked out of the large cabin wearing a white dress, her long whitish blonde hair was partially pinned up with decorated bones, feathers and beads hanging from the side. She shouted out his name again and a small wolf pup came running from the snow. He watched as the pup changed into a small boy with blonde hair._

_He gasped. “That’s…that’s me.” He looked at his inner wolf. “That’s me. That’s…my mother.”_

_“Reita!” Kai’s voice rung through his ears and the memory started to pull away._

_“No, no, no not yet!” He gasped. “I have to know. I have to know where this is. Who I am. Why my mother let Dogma take me. I have to know.”_

_The wolf nudged his side and looked him deep in the eye before taking off behind him. Reita bit his lip and sniffled. ‘I’m sorry, Kai. Just a little longer.’_

~~~

            Kai gasped as he sat up with teary eyes. “Why, Reita?”

Hiroto had made it down to the bottom and was by Kai’s side checking the blonde’s injuries. Kai was hurt by his mate blocking him out. He simply moved back as Hiroto checked over Reita’s body. Soon, Shinya and Byou made their way down to help out. Soon enough, they determined that Reita’s only injury was the one to his head, so they carefully tied a rope around his body so the pack above could lift him up.

            Once they were all up, and Reita’s head wound was wrapped, Byou and Shinya began working on making a stretcher out of branches. Kai remained silent as he watched his mate in silence. Kyo was worried since Kai should be all over his unconscious mate so he walked to the alpha and sat next to him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

Kai hesitated before he began to cry, shocking them all. “It hurts. He blocked me out and it hurts.”

Shinya and Kyo shared a knowing glance before Kyo patted his back. “He probably didn’t do it on purpose. He got hurt so his inner wolf is probably putting up a mental block like before. Once we get him fixed up, you can try again.”

            Even after Reita was set up on the makeshift stretcher, treated, and rested he still wouldn’t wake up, nor let Kai in. They couldn’t stay there though. They had to keep moving, so Kai had to give up for now. He carried Reita from the rear as Byou took the front of the stretcher and they continued walking on.

            As the light began to fade for the day the group decided to stop to rest for the night. Kai laid next Reita’s body and held his hand trying to get him to wake up. The pack settled down with Die and Melody taking first watch of the night. Kyo decided to pull Shinya off to the edge of their camp to get some alone time. Kyo sat down against a tree and Shinya straddled his lap.

            The pack leader rubbed Shinya’s thighs making him smile as he leaned in for a kiss. Kyo moaned into the kiss moving his hands up to the blonde’s sides. Shinya pulled away a little so they could look each other in the eyes.

“They’ll get through it.” Kyo whispered. “Just like we did. Reita’s injury isn’t as bad as yours was.”

Shinya closed his eyes and dropped his head on his mate’s shoulder. “I must have hurt you blocking you out.”

Kyo sighed. “You were almost killed. You lost a child. You had your reasons.”

Shinya sniffled as he rubbed his head on Kyo’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. You needed me the most then, and I only added to your pain.”

Kyo pushed Shinya up so he could rub his cheek. “I’ve already forgiven you. It’s in the past now.”

Shinya laughed leaning in for another kiss. Kyo hummed before rolling them over so Shinya was below him. The beta moaned as his mate rubbed up against him.

            Kaoru smirked seeing his friends rolling around. He was leaning against a tree watching as everyone was laying down to sleep when Aoi moved to lean against him. He smiled at the omega, and Aoi happily moved onto his lap. Kaoru placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Aoi cuddled up against him as he looked over the campsite. He spotted Die looking around the trees. Kaoru took in a deep breath, inhaling Aoi’s pine scent and shivered. Aoi giggled from the reaction and placed a small kiss on Kaoru’s neck.

“Aoi.” The alpha whispered earning a hum. “Tell me, are you scared of Die?”

“No, not really.”

“Why is that? I thought you of all people would be terrified of him. Since he was one of many to hurt you.”

“Die never hurt me.” Aoi whispered. “Never touched me. Actually, I rarely saw him and when I did he was usually walking around with Hiro. Die was always strange to me. He was never interested in the omegas or the slaves. He just did whatever he was told to do.”

“He never hurt you?” Kaoru asked, confused to hear the information.

“No. One time I was resting in my cage and I saw him walk in. He went to one the…slaves who was sick. He was messing with the cage when another alpha came in. I was really out of it, but I remember them arguing and I remember them fighting. There were loud noises then silence. I never saw that alpha again. I think Die killed him. I overheard someone talking the next day about Die trying to give medicine to the sick omegas when he wasn’t supposed to. He got in a lot of trouble for it.”

Kaoru looked over at the red and black haired alpha. It seemed they still had a lot to learn about Die.

~~~

            The next morning the sun shone through the tree branches and onto Kyo’s face. He groaned from being woken up by the sun. He rubbed his hand over Shinya’s sweaty, naked back and coaxed him awake. The beta huffed as he sat up, but he moved to kiss Kyo’s lips before getting up. They both got dressed as the pack started stirring awake. Toshiya was already up and getting a fire started for breakfast. As they got moving around and cooking, Shinya went to check on Reita who had yet to waken. The blonde was lying there with his only movement being his steady breathing. Shinya couldn’t understand why Reita wasn’t waking up, nor why Kai wasn’t able to reach him. They could only wait at this point.

            As the food was being passed out, Ryoga growled at Die as they passed, but went to Ryoga to eat with him. Tsuzuku sat quietly as the blonde continued to send glares in Die’s direction, but the other alpha was ignoring him completely. Tsuzuku butted his head against Ryoga’s shoulder catching his attention.

“What has you so pissed off?”

“How are you so calm with Die being here? He’s one of the ones who took you and …did those things to you.” Ryoga growled a little.

Tsuzuku played with his food as he responded. “To be honest, I didn’t really know who Die was until you told me. He wasn’t there when I was taken. I never once saw him when Hiro had me.”

“He never touched you?” Ryoga asked surprised and Tsuzuku shook his head. “Well, he didn’t help you either so he’s just as bad.”

“If you want to look at it that way, then go ahead, but he has yet to really hurt me.”

“I guess we didn’t tell you what he tried to do to Reita when we saved you.” Ryoga said.

“Koichi did, but I don’t think Die would really do such a thing.”

“Seriously?” The alpha asked in shock. “I want you better, not in denial.”

Tsuzuku laughed before placing a kiss on Ryoga’s cheek. “I’m a lot better thanks to you, but part of getting better is accepting what happened. I have accepted it. I have also accepted the fact that not all of Hiro’s pack was bad. I think Die just made poor decisions and ended up in a bad pack.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually okay with this.”

“Hey, I gave you a second chance.” Tsuzuku said. “Everyone makes mistakes, and they should be given a chance to redeem themselves. Die can’t have that chance if we are constantly bringing up his mistakes and his bad side.”

Ryoga sighed. “Well, sometimes there is no good side.”

“Or you just refuse to see it.”

            Shinya groaned as he nibbled on his breakfast. He wiped the sweat off his forehead before taking a drink of water.

“Are you feeling alright?” Byou asked. “You’re not getting sick are you?”

“No. It’s just hot today.”

“Seriously?” Shou asked. “Feels nice out. Not cold, not hot, but perfect.”

“Whatever you say, goldilocks.” Shinya said. “It’s hot.”

“Or you’re still fired up from Kyo loving on you half the night.” Byou joked.

“Shut up.” The beta sighed before fanning at himself. Byou stared at him for a moment before putting his food off to the side. He took Shinya’s food away as well. “What are you doing?”

“You’re flushed.” Byou said lifting up the beta’s sweaty arms. He looked over Shinya grazing his fingers over the blonde’s neck making him shiver. “Shinya…I think you about to go into heat.”

“What?” He gasped and at this point all eyes were on them. Kyo moved closer to his mate, but Kaoru quickly pulled him back.

“What are you doing?” The pack leader snapped.

“If he is about to start his heat then his pheromones are going to drive you crazy. We need to put some distance between you until we find some shelter for you guys.”

“I’m not going into heat.” Shinya snapped and stood up. “I can’t remember, Kaoru? I can’t go into heat, Toshi said so.”

“No, he said you might not be able to have children again. He said your heats will be erratic. He never said you _wouldn’t_ have them.” Kaoru said with a smile. “Shinya, your heat is back.”

            The pack began to scatter as Kaoru barked out orders. Ryoga, Toshiya, and Ruki where to scout out for a shelter near them while the omegas packed everything up. Hiroto and IV went with Kyo to get him away from Shinya for a while. Koichi went to a nearby stream with Hitsugi to get as much water as possible. Kaoru ordered the rest of the alphas to keep watch and was about to snap at Kai for not moving when he saw the alpha still broken up by his mate. Kai was too distracted to do anything right now so he let the brunette be.

“Careful Kaoru, your leadership is showing.” Shinya joked.

Kaoru smiled, “Yeah don’t get used to. It’s only temporary.”

            The sun was high in the sky by the time the scouters returned. Ruki was able to find an abandoned shed not too far from them, but it took them out of the way from their original path. They had to take it though. He sent for Kyo and started moving the pack ahead of the leader. Shinya was starting to let off pheromones and the moment Kyo caught wind of the smell he was going to go crazy, but not in a good way.

~~~

            By the time they made it to the shed, Shinya was dripping and gasping. He groaned as Shou helped inside the empty shed where started pulling his clothes off. Shou stared wide eyed at the usually composed beta being so open. He took Shinya’s clothes and tossed them outside the shed as Shinya laid on the cool floor.

“Do you want anything? Water, a blanket—”

“Kyo.” Shinya moaned. “Get Kyo.

“Yeah, he’ll be here soon don’t worry about that.” Shou said before stepping out. He closed the door just as Kaoru was ordering everyone to seal up the broken windows with anything they could. They didn’t know what other packs were nearby and they had to reduce the smell as much as possible. As they were working on covering everything up, they heard a growl nearby. They looked back to see Kyo walking through some bushes with Hiroto and IV nervously following him. The pack leader looked pissed off as he walked towards them.

            The alphas immediately backed off from the cabin as the omegas dropped their heads and lowered their shoulders. Kyo let out a continuous growl as he walked to the cabin door. He sniffed it and growled out at Kaoru who was the closest alpha and he quickly moved back further as did the other alphas. Kyo’s ear picked up on the sound of Shinya whimpering inside and he opened the door. He took in his mate’s scent as he walked in slamming the door behind him.

            Shinya was laying there curled up in a ball whimpering for his mate. Kyo kept growling low in his chest as he practically ripped his clothes off and threw them to the side. He walked to his mate where he dropped to his knees and forced Shinya to turn on his back. The blonde moaned out, but was silenced by Kyo’s kiss. The alpha wasn’t gentle as he pushed against his mate’s body. Shinya whimpered out, but he wasn’t afraid of his mate. In fact he was getting excited.

            Kyo buried his nose into the beta’s neck taking in the cherry blossom scent. The smell sent his mind reeling and his body lit on fire. His chest burned with happiness while his stomach burned with excitement. Kyo reached between them to grab Shinya’s half hard cock. The beta moaned out throwing his head back and exposing his neck so Kyo could bite down on it. Kyo happily obliged to his mate’s needs. He bit and sucked down on Shinya’s pale neck while getting him harder and harder.

            Kyo pulled up only to force Shinya to open his legs and bend his knees up. Shinya whimpered as Kyo moved down to prep his body. The beta shivered feeling his mate’s fingers, tongue, and lips all over his skin. His heart was pounding his chest to the same rhythm as Kyo’s own heart. It was strange yet familiar at the same time. It was a feeling he had lost and longed to feel again. Now as he laid there, gripping at Kyo’s arm he felt his chest flare up once more. He moaned out feeling Kyo becoming one with him once more.

            The alpha was impatient, so he was prepping his mate as quickly possible, but he was also careful to not hurt the blonde. Kyo pulled his fingers away only to grip Shinya’s sides and position himself at the beta’s entrance. He didn’t warn his mate before pushing all the way in. Shinya let out loud moan and dug his nails into Kyo’s arms. The alpha moved down to bit on Shinya’s neck and force pressure onto his body. The beta gasped feeling his body start to float, but he also felt his mate moving inside him.

            Shinya reached his arms up to pull Kyo down into a kiss. The alpha growled out, but allowed his mate to kiss him. Kyo was hungry for his beta’s body and soul. He wanted all of Shinya to himself and was going to have him. Kyo pulled out and away from Shinya only to force him onto his stomach. Shinya moaned out raising his hips for Kyo who was quick to grab his mate and thrust back in. Shinya cried out clawing into the wooden floor and his mate began to pound into him again.

            Shinya moved his hand back reaching for Kyo’s arm. He grabbed it just as Kyo started digging his claws into Shinya’s hips. The beta let out a low growl and it was enough for Kyo to loosen his grip so Shinya could his mate’s hand away. The alpha wasn’t surprised when his hand was guided to the beta’s swollen cock. Shinya moaned out at the feeling of Kyo wrapping his fingers around the dripping member.

            Kyo started pumping his hand to the pace of his thrusts causing his beta to lose it. Shinya moaned out and his mind began floating again. He could feel Kyo all around him and inside him. He felt amazing. He let out a low gasp when he felt Kyo’s other hand gently rub the scar on his stomach. The alpha’s claws suddenly dug into Shinya’s skin and he tightened his grip on the beta’s cock. Shinya arched his back and cried out feeling his body release. Kyo grunted from the sudden tightness, but that’s what he wanted. He kept thrusting as Shinya came and soon his own climax was hitting. He released his seeds deep inside his mate’s body before collapsing on top of him.

            Kyo placed soft kisses on Shinya’s neck as he slowly pulled out of his mate’s body, then he forced Shinya to turn over. Shinya was gasping for air as Kyo placed more kisses on his chest and stomach. He placed an extra-long kiss on Shinya’s scar before crawling back up to capture his lips. The beta hummed as he wrapped his arms around Kyo’s neck to kiss back. He could feel his next wave coming at any moment and he knew Kyo could smell it.

~~~

            It had grown dark as the couple mated and the surrounding the pack had laid down for the night. However, the sound of the two making love was having a somewhat effect on everyone. Not only that, but it seems as though the shed wasn’t sealed all that well and the smell of Shinya’s pheromones was flowing through the air. Kaoru was standing up keeping watch as best as he could. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t effected by the mating. He kept glancing over at Aoi, who was sleeping in a group with the other omegas which was the safest thing for them to do right now. Kaoru was worried that the moment he got too close to Aoi he would lose it.

            Ryoga and Tsuzuku were already making out and hugging each other. They were close to striping each other’s clothes off. Ruki and Uruha were no better since Ruki lost his shirt already and was climbing over Uruha’s body. Kai was lying next Reita, not really moving, so it was hard to tell if he was effected or not. More than likely not since his mate wasn’t very responsive. Kaoru was getting worried about Reita. The blonde should have woken up by now.

            Melody and Miyavi were laughing to each other off near the bushes so it can only assume they were having their own fun while Byou was groaning where he stood. Toshiya was staring at the group of sleeping omegas occasionally licking his lips, but then turning to look out in the woods. The tough life of an unmated alpha. Kaoru smirked, but then looked over at Die who seemed perfectly normal doing his job and looking out for anything. This whole time the alpha hadn’t even looked at the omegas nor gave any sign of being effected by Shinya’s pheromones.

            Kaoru walked over to Die, curious to see what was going in his mind.

“Would be a quiet night tonight if it weren’t for all the moaning.” Kaoru said.

“Yep.” Die agreed.

Kaoru stared at him for a moment. “Do you have a great poker face or are you really not effected by all this?”

“I have a marvelous poker face. “Die said with a smile. “And I’m not affected right now.”

“Seriously?” Kaoru asked and Die nodded, but before he could ask another question a noise caught both of their attention. They looked out into the darkness as the sounds came closer.

            Ryoga was moaning into a kiss when he heard something. He pulled away getting a confused look by Tsuzuku, but he started sniffing the air. Ryoga stood up letting out a low growl alerting every one of the intruders. Soon enough a pack of wolves came walking out with the leader in his human form. They were surrounded by alphas. Kaoru growled out along with the rest of the pack as the wolves moved closer.

“What do we have here?” The man asked sniffing the air. “Someone is mating. And look at all the omegas here.”

“Leave.” Kaoru growled out.

The man laughed. “Yeah, so many omegas in one spot is so rare now and days. How did you get so many?”

“I won’t say it again.” Kaoru snapped and the pack started changing into wolves themselves.

“Share some of your omegas,” The man said, “We can all have fun together.”

            Kaoru growled out one last warning, but the opposing pack didn’t heed it. They started moving towards the omegas, but were quickly pushed back. Kaoru took charge in leading the fight against the attackers. The packs spread out tackling, clawing, and chewing into each other. Aoi whimpered out as he was pinned to the ground by one wolf as another jumped onto his back. Kaoru growled out tackling both wolves of his omega. Aoi growled out as he jumped onto of the alphas and dug his fangs into the large wolf’s neck.

             Kai was already pissed off and an unknown alpha coming near his mate sent him over the edge. He tackled the wolf to the ground and tore into him, but this left Reita defenseless. An alpha saw his chance and ran to the injured omega to climb on top of him. Kai growled seeing the wolf on his mate, but he was already fighting one wolf. Suddenly Die tackled the wolf off of Reita’s body and dug his fangs into the wolf’s neck.

            Kyo was mounting his mate when they heard the sound of fighting wolves outside. He groaned, deciding to ignore it as he flipped Shinya over on his back and was about to enter him when the beta whimpered. Shinya pulled away covering his ears and curling away. Kyo leaned to sniff his mate to find him shaking as well. His ear perked hearing the growling outside and Shinya whimpered again.

“Make them stop…” The beta whined.

The packs continued to fight each other when the shed door suddenly opened up. Everyone froze hearing a loud growling as a black and brown wolf came out. Saliva dripped his snout as he bared his fangs. Kyo smelled the opposing pack. These were the assholes who frightened his mate. He wouldn’t allow someone to scare his beta and live.

            Kyo charged in quickly taking down the pack leader with ease and within seconds throwing him to the side. Kyo growled looking at his next target, but the wolf howled for a retreat. Kyo let out a loud growl and a howl as the opposing pack took off into the woods before turning to go back to his mate. As he passed, Toshiya laid down and rolled on his back as to not provoke his leader. Kyo still snapped at Toshiya and did it to the others as well, but they all knew he wouldn’t attack them. He was just reminding them of their place. They waited for him to close himself back into the cabin before changing and moving around.

            Kai went straight to Reita along with Byou, but they found him unharmed. Kai dropped his shoulders and let out a heavy breath. He looked up at Die, who had a gash on his arm, and gave him a nod to thank him. That was all he was going to give the other alpha, at least for now. He still didn’t trust Die, but he’s willing to let alpha earn it in return for saving his mate.


	29. Akira and Reita

            Reita walked down the snowy hill towards the cabins as he watched his younger self run inside on them. He moved to the closed door and reached for it, but hesitated. They couldn’t possibly see him, right? He grabbed the handle, but his hand went right through it. He stared for a moment then moved right through the door. He watched as his younger self sat in his mother’s lap as she braided a lock of his hair. The door swung through him and another woman walked in not even seeing him. She was his height, black hair, with same feathers and beads in her locks as his mother.

            “Yuca, welcome home.” His mother said

“Momma!” Akira shouted running to her. She happily picked him up in her arms and carried him to Kira. She happily greeted her mate before taking Akira back in her arms.

_“My parents.” Reita gasped. “These are my parents.”_

“So how did it go?”

Yuca sighed. “Kira, we have decided that one of Raven’s pups will be Akira’s mate. We haven’t decide which yet, but definitely Raven’s bloodline.”

“Mate?” Akira asked.

“Yes, when you come of age you’ll be mated to a strong alpha.”

“Yuca.” Kira warned. “It’s too early for him.”

“He’ll find out eventually, and as the only omega in our bloodline he’ll have to take responsibility.”

“We don’t even know if he’s a carrier yet.” Kira sighed seeing her son looking at them with confused eyes. “Why don’t you go rest for now? You’ll want to be up bright and early to play with your friends.”

Akira nodded and ran out of the room, but Reita wanted to stay. As he looked around the memory started to change. He was still in the home, but now he was looking out a parted door. Below him at his feet was his younger self looking through the door as well.

            His parents were talking by a fire. Something about Akira still being a child and about bloodlines. Reita listened and learned. The pure Suzuki bloodline was fading and Akira, Reita, was the last direct decedent alive. Yuca was talking about how he was the most important wolf in their tribe. He was also the only omega. It didn’t make sense to Reita, if he was so important then how did he end up with Dogma?

            Before he knew it the scene change again. He was back outside watching his younger self play with the other pups his age. They rolled around the snow tackling and biting. He was always the one pinned down though. As he went to attack again, Yuca came walking up in heavy black furs. She smiled and waved for Akira to come over. The little white pup pounced over and Reita ran next to them.

Yuca petted Akira’s head. “You’re trying so hard, but you won’t win like that. You’re smaller than them, so have to go for their legs. Throw them off balance before you attack. Try again.”

The white pup barked and went running back out just as Kira walked up to her. “Training him already?”

“Old habits die hard.” Yuca laughed. “My line is full of warriors and yours is full of royals. Akira is the perfect balance between strength and elegance.”

Kira rolled her eyes. “Just don’t make him into senseless warrior like Raven is doing with her sons.”

“Raven is doing that so they are up Akira’s standard. Who wants an alpha that can be beaten by an omega?” Yuca smirked. “Which is why I’m going to train Akira to fight like an alpha so only those who are worthy may be his mate.”

“We’re a combined pack, remember.” Kira said. “Akira also has to be agile, cunning, and of course graceful.”

“He will be.” Yuca said. “We’ll make sure of that.”

            Reita shook his head as he watched himself take down another pup, finally. It just didn’t make any sense to him. Why was he bred for perfection only to end up cage fighting? He sat out on a hill watching over the pack. Every face seemed so familiar but at the same time they were so distant. As he watched over the area his inner wolf came to sit next to him. Reita patted his head and pointed at his younger self falling in the snow.

“You’ve kept these memories from me and I’m guessing it’s for a good reason. I just haven’t found it yet.” Reita spoke to himself. “Nothing has really happened here so why hide it?”

His inner wolf let out a low bark. Reita looked back up to find that he wasn’t watching his young puppy self any more, but as an older boy. He was playing with a smaller group now and they were all trying to earn his attention.

            Reita watched as they no longer played, but trained as fighters. The days quickly turned to nights in his eyes and he was staring at his own sleeping form. Reita shook his head because he vaguely remembered this. He wasn’t asleep, he was waiting. A tap sounded on the window and Akira’s eyes opened wide. He ran to it and climbed out to join five others to run out. Reita followed them to the largest cabin, where they climbed to the roof where a door sat open to let out smoke. Reita peeked inside along with the others.

            There sat all of the pack including his mothers. Yuca was sitting in the middle of the room with Kira next to her and they were surrounded by the pack members just like they would in Kyo’s pack during a meeting. Reita leaned in to listen.

“We have to take action, if we don’t Dogma will strike.”

“We cannot fight him, his pack is to large and it’s too strong. We’ll be wiped out.”

“So what, we give in to his commands?” Kira gasped. “Easy for all of you to say you don’t have a child on the line.”

“Kira.” Yuca snapped, but her mate stood up.

“No. I will not lose my son. Your son, Yuca.”

The pack leader sighed. “I know, Kira.”

“We should hand Akira to him.” A woman shouted.

“Mother!” Kira gasped.

“That boy has been nothing but a curse. He was born prematurely, almost killed you, and with his birth took your ability to have more children.”

“Silence, Maya” Yuca ordered. “Akira is our only omega. My only child. He is the key to our pack’s future. He shall not be cursed, nor degraded, nor shunned. Dogma has ordered us to give him all our omegas or fight a war. Our lines have always found a way to survive. We have plenty mates between us and although we are all alphas, some can still conceive. Our line is not lost, but it will be if we go to war.”

Kira glared at her mate with teary eyes. “Please, don’t do it, Yuca.”

“I will give Akira to Dogma to prevent a bloodshed.”

Reita gasped as he covered his mouth and his younger self whimpered. Akira jumped off the roof, ignoring his friends’ stares he ran off into the darkness.

            Reita shook his head in disbelief. He was given away to a monster without a fight or anything. He meant nothing to them, he wasn’t a part of this pack, and he was just a tool to be used. When he was a child all his parents wanted was for him to be mated and have children. They didn’t care.

            Reita looked up and found himself in the woods surrounded by darkness and dead trees. He heard a whimper coming from a log next to his leg. He moved to look inside and found his younger self crying. He felt a familiar pain in his chest and he wanted to reach in to comfort his child self, but he knew it wouldn’t work. Reita sat against the log listening to the crying and to the nearby howls. The pack was looking for him. He remembered this. He remembered sitting in the dark alone when suddenly a white wolf came into view.

            Reita looked over at his mother who was quick to change into her human form. Kira smiled sadly as she approached the log. Reita watched as she gently coaxed him out of the log and Akira jumped into her arms. They sat there together as she wiped off his face.

“You want to get rid of me.” Akira whimpered.

“You heard everything?” She asked and he nodded. “No, I would rather fight to the death than send you off.”

“Then why are you letting it happen?”

Kira sighed, “Yuca is the pack leader and she has to make decisions that are best for the pack even if it means the cost of her family.”

“Then we can run.”

“No Akira, you have to go, but listen to me. We’re not going to leave you with that man. You’ll have to stay with him for a few weeks, but we’re going to get you back. We’re already making plans to get you back home safely. We just need you to listen and behave. We need you to be strong and help us with this.”

“But…I’m scared.”

“We are, too, but we’re strong. You come from a line of warriors, some of the strongest to ever live. Your body can handle fights, so trust it. Use your brain more than brawn that is the key to surviving.”

“I have to go back, don’t I?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” He whimpered out.

            Reita followed them through the forest and watched as Kira talked with him, making him laugh. She led him out to the opening where Yuca was running towards them and she slid on her knees to wrap Akira up in a hug. Reita was actually mad for seeing her cry after she just said she would give him away. His younger self felt the same as he moved away from her. She sighed with a sad face, but stood to lead them back to their home.

            When they got there, they didn’t take Akira to their home, but to a different cabin. Reita watched as they sat Akira in front of an old shaman couple. Yuca and Kira sat behind him, holding hands as the shamans began mixing spices, herbs and water into a pot to boil over a fire. All the while they sung something Reita couldn’t understand. They fanned the smoke from the fire towards Akira making him breathe it in. Then finally once it was finished they poured the red concoction into a cup. Akira was ordered to drink the whole thing and once he did, he fell to the side. Reita gasped as Kira gathered him in her arms

“He will sleep well.” The female shaman said.

“And this will all be dream to him.” The male shaman said.

“He won’t remember a thing.” They both said. Reita shook his head in disbelief as he watched them carry his younger self away. They placed him in his bed and tucked him in like any other time before going to bed themselves.

            Reita watched a couple of days pass then a familiar memory popped up. Akira was in his wolf form and he was outside playing in the snow. He was bigger than what he remembered, but he guessed that was because everything was large to him when he was that size so he felt smaller. The white fluff covered the ground as he hopped through it towards his pack who were all in their wolf forms.

“Mom!” He yelped and laughed as he caught up. She was in her white wolf form as well. She leaned down and nuzzled against him. “Where are we going this time?”

“Kira” The pack leader had walked up to join them. She was a dark grey wolf and she was very large compared to him and his own mother. “It’s time.”

“But why him? Why our son? Yuca please.” She whimpered. The alpha wrapped her head around Reita’s mother’s neck.

“We have no other choice.” Yuca said.

“Mom? Momma? What’s going on?” Akira asked and Reita sniffled.

“Akira.” Yuca turned her head to point towards a large brown wolf. “You need to go with him”

“But…”

“No buts. You will not return here.” She said.

_“You lied to me.” Reita whimpered looking at Kira. “You lied.”_

            Yuca leaned down and bit the scruff of his neck to carry him away. Being carried like a puppy embarrassed him, but Reita knew that feeling would pass in a few minutes. He watched as his mom closed her eyes and turned away from them. Akira whimpered as he was carried to the strange wolf. She dropped her pup and let a low growl. “Here. Now leave our lands and never return.”

He growled “I’ll come back as many times as I please.”

“Dogma! The deal was—”

“Deals change.” He growled and attacked her. Suddenly about twenty or so wolves hidden in the snow jumped out and started attacking the pack.

            Reita watched as the snow became red with blood. He watched as the wolves were being ripped apart from being outnumbered. He watched his younger self whimpering as wolves were dying around him when suddenly Dogma walked up to him. Reita closed his eyes as Dogma picked his younger self up in his mouth and took off. The memory began to fade with no sign of his parents living or dead. Reita guessed his memories couldn’t even tell him that. Dogma took him away far too soon to find out.

            Reita sighed wanting to get away from it all, but when he turned around he found himself sitting in a cage. He was looking right at his younger self chained up to the wall. He heard footsteps coming closer and soon Dogma with one of his lackeys was standing there just as Akira groaned.

“What do you plan on doing with him?”

Akira woken up to the sound of them talking. He raised his hand to scratch his neck, but found something metal wrapped around it. He froze in the spot as the men near him kept talking. Reita watched the memory continue on.

“Originally, I was thinking about making him my mate.” Dogma said. “He’d make me some fine pups.”

“True, but why waste his warrior bloodline with pup making when you already have so many breeders birthing new pack members every month? His name alone will make you money in fights.”

 _“Bastards”_ _Reita spat._

“True.” Dogma turned and smiled down at Akira. “He’ll replace the omega that just died in the Cage. Get him prepped for surgery and start him on the drugs. Akira, you come from a strong bloodline. You’ll make me a hefty sum in the Cage. Get him ready for the procedure.”

“Don’t forget, Dogma, omega’s can grow their uteruses back.” The lackey said.

“Akira’s won’t, not after I’m done with him.” Dogma said and went to walk away, but stopped and looked Akira in the eye. “But if it does happens to grow back, well I’ll put it to use then.”

            Reita watched as they walked away, but then the lackey was coming back with an old man. Reita remembered him. He was Dr. Straze, he was Leena’s grandfather. He was also the man that made the drugs they injected into Reita and the other omegas. He didn’t remember this though. Reita’s inner wolf rubbed his head against the blonde’s hand and whimpered. Reita petted it as he watched the lackey and a couple others drag Akira out of the cage.

            They took Akira to a room that Reita thought he’d seen before, but he couldn’t remember what happened here. He guessed whatever was happening now was it, and it was upsetting his inner wolf.

“He’s too young for this.” Dr. Straze said, but was hit upside the head.

“Do what you’re told or else Leena will suffer.” The lackey said.

Reita watched as they strapped his younger self down on the metal table and as Dr. Straze brought out clean medical supplies. He held up a scalpel and turned towards Akira who was struggling on the table.

“Don’t struggle, it’ll hurt more if you do. I’m sorry we ran out of anesthetics last week so you’ll just have to endure it.” The doctor said before cutting into Akira lower stomach. Reita gasped as he watched the procedure. His inner wolf was rubbing its head against his thigh to try and comfort him. He closed his eyes and turned his head away as his own loud screams filled his ears until it suddenly became silent.

            Reita opened his eyes expecting to see a bloody mess, but found himself on the hill of his inner soul. His tree was as green and full of leaves as ever, but it also had something else on it. He noticed it before, but then it was green and smaller. Now it was lighter with some orange to it and a little bigger. His inner wolf licked his hand before looking up at the fruit.

“Is that for me?” Reita asked and his wolf let out a low bark, but when he tried to reach for it, the white beast pushed him back. Reita raised an eyebrow. “Not ready yet?”

The wolf licked its own snout as it sat down. Reita laughed as he sat in front of it and started petting it. “Kai is trying to get in again, I feel him. You don’t mind me blaming this on you do you?”

The wolf huffed, but laid its head on Reita’s lap and licked his hand. Reita smiled. “Thanks.”

~~~

Reita opened his eyes to find the moon glowing in the night sky. The blonde swallowed hard before slowly sitting up, startling Kai who jumped right up.

“Reita.” He gasped grabbed his mate’s hand. Both of their chests warmed up and Reita felt Kai’s anger, sadness, and worry. The blonde laid his head on the alpha’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I…had to remember a few things and I wasn’t sure what they would be. My inner wolf kind of didn’t want you to see before I did.”

“You let it block me out.” Kai said feeling betrayed.

“I didn’t want you to pull me away from possibly the only chance I had to see what happened to me.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you.” Kai said.

“Not on purpose, but accidently yes. I felt you doing it the moment you called for me. I’m sorry, but I’d really like to share what I’ve learned with you and I hope you’ll listen.”

Kai sighed and pulled his mate into a hug. “I’m just happy you’re okay. You were out for three days.”

“There were a lot of memories to go through.” Reita said with a small laugh. “Kai, I had a pack before Dogma.”

            Toshiya woke with a yawn and was surprised to hear someone talking. He sat up with a start worried about being caught sleeping. He was supposed to be on watch and had fallen asleep. Kaoru was going to kill him for that. Toshiya looked over to see who was talking though and was surprised to find Reita up with Kai. The alpha got up and rushed over to them.

“Reita, you’re awake.”

“And you’re interrupting.” Kai said. “A private conversation.”

“Kai, Byou to needs to check on him, make sure he’s okay.”

“I’m fine Toshiya. It was my choice to sleep as long as I did, now if you would, I’d like to finish before the whole pack wakes up and starts asking me questions.”

Toshiya nodded and backed up to give them space. He walked over to the tree was sitting at before he got up and found Die sitting by it. He didn’t even know the other alpha was awake.

            “Hey.” Toshiya whispered.

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

“Please don’t tell anyone.”

Die waved his hand with a smile. “No promises.”

“Evil.” Toshiya joked.

“Only a little.”

They sat there listening to the sounds of the night, including Kai and Reita talking as well as the moaning coming from the shed. Yeah, _peaceful_.

            Kaoru was first to wake up and move around that morning cooking breakfast. He decided to break the rules for once and gave Reita the first helping since the omega was probably hungry. Kai was surprised to find Reita wolfing down the food without hesitating or complaining, but he was also very happy. Soon everyone else was up and eating while Byou did a full blown examination on Reita because it’s exactly what Shinya would do.

“Shinya told you not hit your head anymore.” Byou joked.

“Yeah, my bad.” Reita laughed as the bandage was changed out.

“We’ll be leaving in a couple of days once our leader has finished mounting his mate into the ground.”

“Were we that loud when Kai and I mated?” Reita asked.

“Probably, the rooms you guys were in helped sounds from getting out so we didn’t really hear it unless the door got opened.”

Reita’s cheeks burned and he was laughed at for it. They finished up and joined the rest of the pack, but Kai grabbed him and pulled him to the side.

            After Reita was deemed healthy, Kai pulled him away to go on a run together as wolves. They ran through the trees and bushes chasing each other. Reita was enjoying the run. Being able to feel wind against him, digging his paws into the earth with every step, and running freely with his mate next to him. He never felt so free.

            They alternated who led and who followed. When they took a break they would end up wrestling before taking off running again. The sun moved across the sky as they continued their little adventure until Reita suddenly slowed down to a stop. Kai stopped and turned to look to see why his mate wasn’t moving anymore. Reita whimpered before falling to his side and Kai felt his heart dropped. The white wolf curled up just before turning back into Reita curled up. Kai changed before dropping to his knees next to his mate.

“Reita,” He whimpered.

Reita looked up with a smile and a sweaty face. He was gasping for air, but he reached for his mate’s hand. “I’m okay, just couldn’t catch my breath.”

“Why don’t I carry you back?” Kai asked and the blonde nodded. He climbed his mate’s back and Kai started carrying him back to the camp.

“Kai?”

“Yeah.”

“Can we do this again? I really…loved it.”

“When you’re feeling better.” Kai said.

“Okay. I’m going to take a nap.”

“You do that. I’ll wake you up when we get back.”

Reita hummed before pressing a kiss on Kai’s neck. “Love you.”

Kai smiled as his chest warm up. “Love you, too.”


	30. No Time to Relax

            Shinya was slow to wake up, but as he did he noticed Kyo was sitting up and rubbing his back. The beta smiled as he let out a low moan and Kyo leaned over to give him a gentle kiss. The alpha sent waves of subtle pressure into Shinya’s body making him shiver. Kyo laid on top of him and started kissing his neck. Shinya hummed feeling his mate’s soft kisses and he laughed before he turned his head to pull Kyo into a soft kiss.

            As they were making out, a soft knock came on the door and Kyo groaned, but he kept kissing his mate. He heard the door open, but ignored whoever was interrupting them. It was Shinya who pulled away though so he could address their guest. Kyo glared over at Kaoru, who was trying not to smile at the scene. Kyo let out soft non-threatening growl which made Kaoru raise an eyebrow before he threw a wad of clothes at them.

“There’s a river nearby so you guys can go clean up. We’re washing clothes and bathing there now if you want to join us.” Kaoru said.

“How long were we going at it?” Kyo sighed laying down.

“Six days.” The alpha smirked.

Kyo sat straight up and nodded. “We’ll need to leave as soon as we’re done.”

            The couple walked out of the shed after getting dressed and stretched before following Kaoru out of the campsite towards the nearby river. As they walked closer they could hear the sounds of laughter and the sound of a waterfall. Walking to the opening towards the river Kyo found his pack swimming in the water laughing and talking. They all froze seeing the couple walk through the bushes then they started clapping. Shinya’s face grew red and Kyo kissed his cheek before pulling him towards the water. IV and Hiroto walked up to them to take their clothes to wash them.

            Kyo led his naked mate down into the water with everyone else. They slipped into the cold water and sat down as Uruha moved closer with a small basket full of soaps. Kyo took the basket and Uruha was about to move away, but Shinya had him stay. They stood up and the beta rubbed his hand over Uruha’s growing belly. It hadn’t grown much, but the small lump was noticeable to Shinya. Uruha laughed as he was finally allowed to move away to go to his mate who was waiting on a nearby rock. Kyo had Shinya sit down to start washing his back and shoulders.

            Reita was floating in the river with Kai swimming around him, splashing water on him making him laugh. Reita straightened up and started splashing water back at him before chasing him through the water. They swam past Ruki and Uruha who were now sitting on the rocks. Uruha had laid on his back to sunbath as his mate massaged his arms and rubbed his body.

            Hiroto, IV, and Hitsugi were scrubbing down Kyo and Shinya’s clothes. Shou rinsed out a shirt and rung it out before hanging it in the trees with the other clothes. As he turned around he saw Tsuzuku and Koichi climbing up the waterfall. Ryoga had jumped out of the water to climb up behind them as they made it to the top. Tsuzuku and Koichi held hands as they ran and jumped off the top. Ryoga looked over the edge waiting for them to appear from under the water. The two popped up laughing and high fived each other as Ryoga breathed out a sigh of relief.

            Melody and Miyavi were watching from the trees both fully dressed. They were talking about a way to see their children. If they should leave or if they should bring their children to their next home. They didn’t know what to do, but they did know they didn’t want to be away from their children any longer. Near them, Byou was sitting on the riverbank with Shou skipping rocks across the water. They were taking turns to see who could skip the most and farthest. Shou threw a rock out, but it went sideways when Byou pushed him and it landed right by Aoi. They froze expecting the raven to yelp, but he seemed out of it.

            Aoi sat in the water moving his hands back and forth making mini waves. He watched as the pack played around having fun, but he felt lonely. He looked over at Kaoru walking around keeping his eye out on everyone. Aoi sighed before standing straight up and walking out of the river. He walked over to the drying clothes and grabbed his before heading into the woods. Kaoru spotted Aoi and was instantly worried. He wanted to go after his mate, but someone had to keep an eye out.

“Kaoru,” Kyo caught his attention. “We’re fine, go.”

Kaoru nodded and quickly took off into the forest.

            It didn’t take him long to catch up to the raven who had stopped to pull his pants on. Kaoru walked up to him and grabbed his arm, startling him. Aoi looked down, still holding his shirt, but Kaoru lifted his head and the alpha leaned down to kiss him. The omega moaned as he was pushed into a tree. He dropped his shirt and wrapped his arms around Kaoru’s neck as they kissed deeper. Kaoru pulled away for a moment to look at the omega, but then Aoi moved in for another kiss.

            Toshiya and Die stayed back to clean up the campsite and pack everything up to get ready to leave once Kyo was ready. Ever since they got there Die has been out of it, but also jumpy at every sound. Toshiya found the other alpha’s behavior strange compared to his normal demeanor. Something was up and if he’s figured it out it won’t be long until the others will too. The pack will only be suspicious if Die keeps acting the way he is. So Toshiya walked up to him with a scowl.

“Okay, what is up with you?”

“What do you mean?” Die asked packing up the last of the food.

“You’re acting weird, you have been for a few days now. What’s going on?”

Die gave him a blank look before tying up the bag. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You keep acting like this and the whole pa—” He got quiet as they heard someone coming. They looked into the woods as two men walked out holding guns. They stared at each other for a moment. Toshiya noticed Die shaking and his eye were wide as he gasped for air. Toshiya looked back at the two men. They weren’t hunters. He could tell by the black clothing they wore, the strange dog sigil on their sleeve, and the assault rifles they had.

            The two men raised their guns and Toshiya immediately raised his hands, but Die seemed frozen.

“Die get your hands up.” Toshiya snapped, but the other alpha wouldn’t move.

“Who are you?” One of the men asked. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just camping.” Toshiya said.

The men stared at them for a minute taking careful steps forward. “People don’t camp out here. These woods are full of…wolves.”

Die’s face turned into a scowl and he suddenly growled out. Before they could react Die charged forward changing forms. The men starting to shooting at him, but he zigzagged to dodged the bullets. Before Toshiya could react one of the men aimed at him and fired.

            The pack was startled by the sound of gunshots. Kyo instantly went into leader mode and the pack ran out of the water. They charged through the woods, the alphas taking the lead as wolves with the omegas following behind still in their human forms. Reita and Shinya stayed back with Uruha as the others ran ahead. Uruha’s hand instantly went to his stomach as worry went through him.

            Kaoru and Aoi were first to arrive at the camp and found Toshiya sitting on the ground gripping a bloody shoulder. Another gunshot sounded and Aoi whimpered falling to the ground.  Rage filled Kaoru’s whole body as he watched his omega curl into a ball and felt Aoi in pain. He looked at the man aiming a gun right at him and by him was Die on top of another man. Kaoru growled out as he changed form and charged forward. The man shot again grazing Kaoru’s head, but the alpha didn’t slow his charge. He jumped forward tackling the man to the ground. The first man let go of his gun, but punched Die in the snout making him whimper and he was able push the wolf off. He yanked his gun back to aim it, but Die moved in and bit down on the man’s neck.

            Kyo and the alphas made it into the campsite to see Die diving in to help Kaoru kill a man holding a gun. Once the man stopped moving the two alphas raised up with bloody snouts. Kaoru started sprinting and that’s when Kyo noticed Aoi curled on the ground. Byou ran to help as they changed back and the omegas along, with Shinya, walked cautiously through the bushes. Shinya gasped and ran to Toshiya. He pulled the alpha’s hand away to inspect the damage of his shoulder. He ripped the shirt open and prodded the wound making him hiss.

Shinya let out a deep breath and smiled. “It’s just a graze. You’ll need a few stitches, but you should be okay.”

            Aoi was whimpering as he was forced to uncurl and Byou looked down at his bloody side. Kaoru was sitting next to him trying send soothing pressure through the omega, but Aoi was freaking out too much. Byou pressed his hand down on the wound.

“You’re okay. It’s not that bad, just a small flesh wound. You’ve had worse from bites.” Byou said, but looked up with worried eyes at Kaoru. It was a little worse than he was letting on, but he didn’t want to scare Aoi even more than he was.

Kaoru understood and tried his best to calm Aoi down. The omega steady his breathing and once it leveled out, he finally allowed Kaoru to send him soothing pressure.

Kyo was glaring at the two dead bodies then at Die who was covered in blood. “IV, Hiroto go grab our clothes. Die, go with them and clean off. We’re leaving here.”

Ryoga walked over to the bodies to check them out and hummed when he noticed the sigils on their sleeves. It was a shield with a black dog that had horns coming from its head and large canines that looked like a saber’s teeth.

            Aoi whimpered out as Byou stuck his fingers into the wound and carefully pulled a bullet out. Both Byou and Shou worked quickly to patch up the wound before the omega bled out too much. Kaoru continued petting Aoi’s head, holding his hand, and whispering to him to keep him calm. Shinya worked carefully to clean and stitch up Toshiya’s wound. While they were working on treating the two injured wolves, Hiroto and IV returned with everyone’s clothes so they could all get dressed. Soon after, Die walked back with his head down, but he was cleaned of blood.

            After Aoi and Toshiya were treated, the pack started moving again this time in silence. Tsuzuku was worried because Ryoga hadn’t said a word and was constantly watching and listening as they walked around. It was understandable though with what they just dealt with. Die stayed in the back pretty zoned out which didn’t go unnoticed. Toshiya kept an eye on Die as they trekked through the woods. Kaoru was carrying Aoi princess style and the omega was letting out soft whimpers of pain. The alpha was worried.

            As they kept going forward, the sky began to darken up from the cloud cover and the sound of low thunder rolled nearby. Great just what they needed, a storm. Kyo looked back at his pack struggling to move along. He spotted Ruki and Uruha a little behind with the alpha helping Uruha over a log. The omega had his hand over his stomach as he slowly moved forward, but then he stopped and leaned on the tree.

“He’s exhausted.” Shinya said to Kyo. “We need to let him rest.”

Kyo nodded. “I know, but we need to find shelter. We can’t get caught out in this storm.”

Shinya nodded. “Yeah, I know. Aoi needs a place to rest, too. That gunshot wound needs more treatment and I’m worried it’ll get infected.”

Kyo stopped and turned to face his pack. Uruha took this chance to sit down against a tree with Ruki kneeling beside him. They all looked up at Kyo who glanced at the cloudy sky as rain droplets began to fall, then finally addressed his pack.

“We’ll rest here for a bit. Ryoga, Kai, and…” He hummed looking at Toshiya who was still injured, Kaoru who was holding onto Aoi, Melody was helping Byou tend to Uruha, and then to Die. “Die. I want the three of you to scout ahead and see if you can find a lodge or anything we can use for shelter. Try to be back before the storm hits.”

Ryoga nodded along with Kai. Die was hesitant, but the look in Kyo’s eyes made this feel like a test. So Ryoga decided their directions. Ryoga will go straight north, Kai northeast and Die would go northwest. Reita had a bad feeling so he ran up to his mate and looked at Kyo. The pack leader sighed knowing what the blonde was going to ask.

~~~

            Die walked through the woods as the rain fell lightly on his skin. The thunder continued to roll around him as he walked along the trees. He sighed as he rubbed his hand on the rough bark of the tree in front of him. He stared at the four old claw marks that were there before placing his head on the tree. He bit his lip before he kept walking on looking at the occasional markings on the trees as he walked passed them.

Every step made his heart race and his hair stand. The rain started coming down harder as he moved closer and closer. He knew where he was and he hated being this close to old memories. He moved through the woods coming closer to the opening. As he peeked through the last bit of trees, he spotted the old building quietly sitting. He dug his claws into the tree next to him as he squeezed his eyes shut.

~~~

            Reita stumbled through the trees behind Kai as the rain started pouring. They had been walking through the forest for well over two hours now and Kai figured it was time to head back. They were trying to retrace their steps when they found themselves a little lost. Their tracks had been washed away already and Kai was trying to find a scent to their pack. They stumbled together through the mud and trees until Reita’s foot slipped in the mud. He yelped, but Kai was able to catch him in time. Reita started laughing before straightening up to kiss Kai on the lips. The alpha happily kissed back and hugged him tightly before he pulled away so they could keep going.

            They trekked to the forest as the downpour continued when Kai suddenly stopped hearing something nearby. Reita stopped hearing it as well. It was like rushing water, but it was getting closer and closer. Kai looked up along were a hill was nearby just as water started flowing down. It was only a trickle, but Kai squeezed Reita’s hand, and the omega felt his mate’s worry, so they started running. This area was dangerous. As they were running, Kai hit a patch of mud and slipped taking Reita down with him. Reita gasped landing on his side, but the two were quick to get back to their feet. However, the earth below them began to move as the water overflowed the area slicking up the mud.

            Kai grabbed Reita’s hand again as they were over taken by the flowing mud and were pushed down the sloping land. Reita yelped as Kai pulled him closer and held him against his chest.

“Kai!” Reita shouted just as they slammed into a nearby tree. Kai grunted as a sharp pain went through the back of his skull and his world went black. Reita whimpered as he held on to his mate and onto the tree they hit. Mud was rising up to their necks as more water came flowing down. At least it made it the mud thinner, but at the same time the flow was too strong to fight against. Reita whimpered feeling his hand slipping from the tree. He dug his claws into the bark, but he felt the tree cutting into his hand and his grip loosened up.

            Once it slipped off he held tightly onto Kai’s limp body as they went with the current until they reached the bottom. They fell over an edge which wasn’t a short drop, but there was a puddle of mud to break their fall a little bit. However, they still landed pretty hard and the blonde felt his right shoulder pop when he landed on it. Reita jumped up ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He was completely covered in mud with more pouring over him and Kai, but he quickly moved them to dryer spot. Reita wiped the mud off Kai’s face and found blood dripping down his neck. Reita found a large gash on the back of his head and he whimpered as he pressed his hand on the wound. He watched the mud continue to flow down and that’s when Reita realized they were in a hole and it was filling up.

            Reita carefully laid Kai down and moved to stand up when the pain his shoulder was too much for him to handle. He whimpered out as lifted his shirt sleeve and saw his shoulder looking a little odd. He rolled the sleeve back down and reached to grab his mate. Reita pulled Kai up with his good arm and placed the alpha against his chest and howled out, but just as he did thunder rolled over them. He howled once more as the rain came down harder. Reita looked down at his limp arm being covered in mud and then to his other hand on Kai’s head wound.

“Someone…” He whimpered, “Help.”

~~~

            Ryoga couldn’t find anything and the rain started coming down harder, so he decided to start heading back. The thunder kept going and it felt the vibration through his body as the wind blew harder. This storm was about to get worse. He quickly changed into his wolf form and took off running through the trees. He was able to spot muddy patches and jump over them, but as jump over a log he landed on one and slipped. He whimpered as he landed wrong on his left front paw. He tried to stand up, but limped forward and was forced to change back. He felt his wrist and he hissed at the stinging pain.

            He kept going on to get back to the pack, but as he was heading there he heard the sound of a howl. He waited a moment and heard it again. He took off in the direction where he heard the howls coming from. As he got closer he recognized it as Reita and his cry for help. Ryoga stopped for a moment to gain his bearings around all the trees as he was getting closer, but then howling suddenly stopped. Ryoga had a bad feeling about all this, but he kept going. He sniffed the air, not able to pick any scents through the rain, but he was able to hear the sound of flowing water.

            It took him some time to get towards the sound, but when he did he found a mudslide. He watched it flow down to the hill towards a large pit. He sniffed the air catching the faint smell of blood. He ran down to the pit and gasped when he found Reita and Kai at the bottom, half of their bodies covered in mud.

“Hey, are guys okay?” He shouted.

Reita blinked before slowly moving his head. “Ryoga?” He whispered.

“Are you hurt?”

“Kai…won’t wake up.” Reita whimpered.

“Can you move?”

The blonde shook his head. “I hurt my shoulder, but I think I can.”

“Okay try.”

Reita nodded and took a heavy breath before raised his body up. He whimpered out as his right arm moved, but he fought through it and got to his feet holding Kai as best as he could with one arm. The omega stood there catching his breath for a moment. He looked up at Ryoga.

“Now what?” He gasped.

Ryoga waved his hand. “Come closer to the wall. I’m going to climb down.”

~~~

            Uruha blinked feeling the rain hitting his face. He felt so tired but the rain was keeping him from sleeping. He felt Ruki’s warm hand rubbing his belly and he sat up. Ruki smiled down at his mate. Uruha sighed as he rolled on his side and huffed. Ruki rubbed his face with a frown.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m so tired Ruki.” Uruha whispered. “I can’t sleep.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll find a place where you can rest soon. Just hang on okay.”

Uruha nodded and then smiled. “Keep rubbing my belly?”

Ruki nodded with a smile. He was happy to oblige.

            Die tripped over root before coming into a campsite startling the pack for a moment. He scratched the back of his head and with a small smile. Thunder rolled loudly above them and it was enough to shake the ground. Uruha whimpered as he curled up, but Ruki was there to push comforting pressure into him to calm him down. The rain suddenly poured harder as the wind picked up. Kyo was quick to walk up to Die.

“Did you find anything?” He asked. Die’s mouth open as he stared into the leader’s piercing eyes. His legs began to shake as he looked to the side and he clenched his fists. He spotted Byou helping Kaoru cover Aoi’s still form with their own bodies to protect him from the rain as Ruki was doing the same for Uruha. The omegas were huddled up in their wolf forms as the alphas withstood the wind and rain in their wolf forms.

“Die?” Shinya spoke catching his attention. The beta had walked up to them when he was dazed.

Die sighed and looked at Kyo. “I found a place, but…it may not be that safe.”

“Why?” Shinya asked.

“Will it get us out of this typhoon?” Kyo growled and Die nodded.

“Kyo,” Shinya whimpered, but the leader rubbed his arm.

“Why isn’t it safe?” Kyo asked.

“It used to be a lab that experimented on…our kind. It looks empty right now…but…”

“We’re going.” Kyo ordered and started rally the pack to get up. As they gathered around with Uruha and Ruki in the middle along with Kaoru who had Aoi in laying his arms.

“What about Reita?” Uruha whimpered.

“Kai is with him.” Ruki whispered. “They’ll be fine.”

“But…”

“We’ll search for them once the storm lets up.” Kyo said, apparently hearing them. “Those two and Ryoga will probably come back here. They’ll be smart and wait for us to find them.”

“But the storm will—”

Ruki patted his mate’s back interrupting him. “Don’t worry, they’ll find shelter. We have to get you out of this storm now though.”

Uruha nodded with a small smile, but that didn’t get rid of his worry. Ruki knew and squeezed his mate’s hand to reassure him.

~~~

            Ryoga grunted as he landed in the thigh high puddle of mud once he managed to climb down. He hissed rolling his wrist around and rubbed it as Reita managed to drag Kai’s limp body closer.

“Give him to me.” Ryoga ordered.

“Are you ok? Your hand…”

“I’m fine.” He said with a nod. Ryoga squatted a little and grabbed Kai’s shoulder then his thigh. Ryoga hoisted Kai’s body up onto his shoulders, fireman style. “I’m going to get him up first, then I’ll come down and help you.”

Reita nodded and watched as Ryoga grabbed onto the rocks. He pulled his body up, his face was red and scowled each time he used his left hand. Reita watched nervously, ignoring the mud rising to his waist as Ryoga took one step up at a time. The alpha grunted pulling his body up and Reita could see his arms shaking. Ryoga moved up inch by inch, finally making it up to the top where he hoisted his whole body up. He quickly brought his knees up and made it over, dumping Kai’s body to the side before laying on his back to catch his breath.

            Reita moved his hand through the mud and noticed how much thicker it was becoming. He pushed forward to get closer to the wall and it was a struggle for him. He gasped out before grabbing the rocks.

“Ryoga?” He called. The alpha was slow to poke his head over and he waved.

“I need a minute.” He called.

“The mud rising…” Reita whimpered, but he doubt Ryoga heard him. “I’m going to try and climb up.”

“Reita, hang on and I’ll help you.” Ryoga said and moved to sit up. He leaned on his hand and yelped before bringing it up to his chest.

“I think I can do it.” Reita said. He grabbed onto a rock with his good hand and raised a foot against the wall to find piece to stand on. It took him a couple of minutes to finally be able to start climbing the wall. He cried out whenever he had to use his bad arm or if it bumped into the wall.

            He was about halfway up when the rain became a white out and the wind blew harder. Reita curled up a little as he was pelted by the storm he could hear Ryoga shouting something but he couldn’t make out what it was. The blonde raised his arm, but then his foot slipped and he gasped out as he slid down the wall and landed into mud. Reita popped up completely covered and coughing out mud. He wiped his hand over his face to fling the mud off. He kept coughing as he waded through the thickened mud to get to the wall, but was struggling. He had to stop to catch his breath as he felt his body sinking into the mud. He heard Ryoga again and looked up to find the alpha making his way down into the pit.

            Once Ryoga made it down, he reached out and grabbed the omega’s shirt to pull him closer. Reita was pulled up against the wall and was given a minute to cough some more. Ryoga placed Reita’s bad arm on his shoulder then grabbed the blonde’s waist. Reita whimpered from the movement of his arm, but sucked it up. They worked together to slowly climb the rock wall. As they got near the top, they heard a loud rush of muddied water flow into the pit causing the mud to rise faster. If they fell in again, they would drown before they could get out of thick mud even if it overflowed the pit.

            Ryoga growled as he pulled them faster. Reita was nervous, trying not to slip on the rocks, but Ryoga had a good grip on him so that helped. They neared the top and reached up to the edge to pull themselves up. The dirt under Reita’s hand collapsed and he yelped as he began to fall. Ryoga reached out to grab his arm just as another hand grabbed Reita’s shirt. They both gasped seeing Kai leaning over, holding onto to the blonde. They both lifted him up to the top and Kai collapsed on his side as Ryoga made his way up. Kai groaned as slowly turned and vomited.

“Kai!” Reita gasped moving to his side to rub his back. Kai coughed out and spat before rubbing Reita’s thigh to calm him down.

“We have to move now.” Ryoga snapped and yanked Kai up to his feet making him groan. “We don’t have time.”

Reita nodded as he and Ryoga became crutches for Kai as the started rushing through the forest. Reita glanced back as the pit overflowed and the muck was spreading. He faced ahead not wanting to trip and fall as they moved forward to high ground.

~~~

            Die walked passed the clawed up trees to the edge of the forest where a concrete building surrounded by a chain link fence sat. Kyo glared at Die, but a strong gust persuaded them to keep walking. They were quick to walk to the metal doors and Kyo opened it up ordering his pack inside. Toshiya walked passed Die and noticed the other alpha not moving.

“Die? What’s wrong?” Toshiya asked.

Die shook his head. “I’m not going into that place. I’ll stay out here and keep watch.”

“What, that’s insane. You need to get out of this weather.”

“Toshiya, get inside now.” Kyo snapped glaring at them. The alpha sighed, but followed the order and left Die be. After he walked in, Kyo stomped over to Die still scowling at him. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but if this place endangers my family I will personally rip you apart.”

Before Die could respond, the pack leader went inside, leaving him be.

            Once the pack was inside, Ruki sat down so Uruha could lay his head on the alpha’s lap. The omega was out like a light. Shinya ordered everyone else to search for towels, blankets, or anything to dry them off and keep warm. Kaoru had laid Aoi down next to Ruki so he could help search around for stuff. The pack headed down the hallway and separated into all the different doorways along it. Byou and Shou went into a room with a couple of tables, cabinets, counters, a fridge and stove. The two smiled at each other before moving in to rummage through cabinets. IV and Hiroto went into the room across from them and smiled when they saw the shelves of food.

            Kyo, Shinya, and Kaoru was going through a room near the end of the hall, but it was full of dark shapes. They barely made out the desks and weird shapes sitting on them through the darkness. They tried turning the lights on, but the electricity didn’t seem to be working. A little ways down was a large opened area that led to three different hallways. Tsuzuku and Koichi walked to the right hallway and down it. At the end they spotted a lone elevator. Tsuzuku thought it was strange to have one there, but continued on with his friend to look at the room on the left side. Inside was a large dark room, but they could make out the faint shape of stalls and sinks. Hiroto and Hitsugi walked into the room across from them and instantly made out the shapes of lockers.

            Melody and Miyavi had gone straight ahead from the large opening to a few more rooms. Melody took the first room on the right while Miyavi went into the room right next to her. She looked at the small closet filled with cleaning supplies. She spotted a row of lantern shaped objects. She picked one up and hit a switch to turn on the bright LED light. She shined the light on all the other ones on the shelf.

“Melody.” Miyavi called and she stepped out to find her mate holding a stack of blankets. “There’s a bunch more in here, towels and clothes too.”

She nodded taking them as Miyavi walked back inside. She peeked inside and saw the large empty laundry bins inside. A laundry room must be nearby. “Let’s get these to the others.”

            Kyo had everyone move to the larger area where the omegas began making pallets with the blankets they had and makeshift pillows with the towels they weren’t using. Ruki had Uruha changed into some dry scrubs, which Miyavi had brought, and made Uruha lay down. They all changed and the alphas laid down as the omegas tied up a rope found in the supply closet and hung the clothes up on it. Once they were finished with that, they too settled down to rest with only Kyo keeping watch.

            Aoi groaned a little as he rolled over in Kaoru’s arms. The alpha was worried feeling Aoi’s heat and shaking body. The omega whimpered a little and rolled onto his back tossing his head to the side. Kaoru sat up, patting the raven’s sweaty face.

“Shinya.” He whispered. The beta sat up before quietly moving over to the couple to check the feverish omega. Kyo moved next to them to see the problem. Shinya slowly pulled Aoi’s scrub up to show the puffy stitched up wound on his stomach. Shinya prodded making Aoi whimper out. The beta felt the heat under his finger tips and the wetness of puss draining out. He looked worriedly at Kaoru then at Kyo.

“He needs proper treatment.” Shinya whispered. “And soon.”

~~~

            Kai groaned feeling his head bounce and his feet drag along the ground as rain continued to hit his back. He lift his head and blinked to try to get rid of his blurring vision. His head pounded and spun so he dropped it as his eyes grew heavy. Kai felt his mate by his side. He felt Reita struggling with some sort of stiffness or pain. He couldn’t really make out the feeling because of the pounding in the back of his head.

“Here.” Ryoga spoke. Kai blinked and before he knew it he was being laid on the ground. Reita lifted the alpha up and held Kai up against his chest. Reita watched as Ryoga paced around the area then looked down at them.

“Ryoga?” Reita whimpered. “Where is everyone?”

The alpha sighed. “Listen, there has to be some shelter nearby. They probably found it and got out of this storm. I’m going to look around and see if I can find it.”

“Please, don’t leave!” The blonde whimpered. “Please…I can’t protect Kai, not with my arm.”

Ryoga looked the two over. Despite the rain, they were still covered in mud and Kai was too disoriented to even sit up on his own. Reita’s right arm was limp at the side and his left hand was covered in bloody scratches. Ryoga nodded and sat down next to them to huddle up with them. They had to maintain all the warmth they could as they laid on the hard ground. Reita shivered as the rain became colder and harder. Ryoga held out his hand to see small ice pebbles bouncing off as the hit his skin. He quickly changed into his wolf form as he laid against his friends and Reita cuddled closer, sandwiching Kai in between them. Reita was already starting to feel numb, but his fatigue was too much for him to care and he was soon closing his eyes.


	31. 20193

            Ryoga was first to wake up and took in the site of frost covering Kai and Reita’s bodies. He slowly sat up looking up at the sun shining through the tree branches above them. He shook his body, knocking the frost off his fur in the process. Ryoga let out a loud breath as he dropped his head to go back to sleep when the sound of something moving nearby alerted him. Ryoga was quick to jump to his feet, but whimpered putting pressure on his injured paw. He lifted his front left paw as he growled out at the moving bush in front of him. Ryoga’s ears perked as another bush rustled to his right.

            He watched as two cougars walked out of the bushes letting out low growls. Ryoga slowly backed up, using his body as a shield for the injured wolves behind him. The one cougar on the right charged forward as the other one did the same. Ryoga looked between them with his ears dropping. The cougar straight ahead jumped in the air to attack as the second kept charging from the ground. Ryoga got ready for the impact, but was surprised when a lightly tanned wolf collided in the air with the cougar. A grey wolf jumped over Ryoga’s body to attack the second big cat. A black wolf, brown wolf, and grey wolf moved in to help push the cougars back. The two felines were quick to pull back and run with their tails between their legs.

            Ryoga huffed before falling to his side and changing into his human form. Tsuzuku ran to his mate, changing into his human form to lift the alpha up in his arms. The blonde gave a small smile and the omega was quick to kiss Ryoga on the lips. Melody remained in her wolf form as Kyo, Kaoru, and Hiroto joined Tsuzuku and checking on the injured wolves. Hiroto knelt beside them to make sure they were even alive and was relieved to feel their pulses.

“We have to get them inside and warmed up.” Hiroto said. “I can’t do a full physical on them out here either.”

Kaoru nodded and moved to grab Reita first. He pulled the blonde up and moved his right arm. Reita’s eyes shot open and he let out bloodcurdling scream. He whimpered pulling away from the cause of his pain. Kai was alerted as he sat up, but gripped his forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut. Kai blindly reached his arm out to grab his mate, but he fell to the side into Hiroto’s arms. The alpha groaned before vomiting on himself and the omega.

“Reita hurt his arm.” Ryoga groaned. “Kai has a head injury.”

“And all three of you are freezing.” Kyo stated. “We’re moving out.”

            Kaoru warned Reita before moving both of the omega’s arms onto his stomach so the alpha could pick him up. Reita whimpered out before coughing out and he buried his face into Kaoru’s chest to cover his mouth. Kyo helped Kai up to his feet along with Hiroto to drag him along. Tsuzuku helped support Ryoga as they stood and began walking as Melody kept a steady look out for any dangers as they moved out of the area.

~~~

            Lamps were spaced around the room to light up the area so they could at least see what they were doing. Shinya swiped Aoi’s wet hair out of his face before wiping his warm skin with a cool wet rag. The beta carefully wiped down the omega trying to cool him off. Within one night Aoi’s fever became worse and it was only a matter of days before they lose him. Without any medicine, there was nothing Shinya could to help him. They wouldn’t be able to move him at this point and even if they did, he wouldn’t survive a day outside. Aoi whimpered out again as Shinya worked on cleaning the infected area.

            After Shinya was done, he waved for Hitsugi and Shou to redress Aoi as he moved to make sure IV and Koichi set up everything needed for the others’ return. Additional pallets were made and scrubs were sat out for them as well as extra blankets. Shinya looked over the last of the bandages that they had and bit his lip before setting them back in the bag with the few supplies they had left. He jumped hearing the doors open and running footsteps coming closer.

“Shinya! Byou!” Hiroto shouted and the two doctors walked towards the hallway where the group was coming in. Kaoru was carrying Reita tightly in his arms followed by the rest of them. Hiroto told them about the injuries as Reita and Kai were laid beside their pallets. Byou worked on Kai with Hiroto as Shinya looked over Reita with Shou. Ryoga sat nearby with Tsuzuku telling them he could wait until the other two were treated.

            Shinya had Shou hold Reita up as the beta worked on pulling the omega’s shirt off. It took them a few seconds to carefully work it off Reita’s arm, but he finally managed to do it. Shinya studied the blue and purple swollen shoulder. He observed the odd lump then patted Reita’s face to get his attention.

“Reita, your shoulder is dislocated. I have to reset, it’s going to hurt so I need to be as relaxed as possible. I’m going to work it back in okay?” Shinya said rubbing the blonde’s arm gently and Reita nodded letting out a few coughs in the process. Shinya placed one hand on the bruised shoulder and the other on Reita’s upper up. Shiny nodded to Shou to hold him tightly then he started to slowly roll his arm and push at it. Reita clenched his teeth as his arm was moved in a circular motion until suddenly the shoulder popped back into place. Reita cried out before his eyes rolled back and his body went limp into Shou’s arms. Shinya nodded and the blonde was laid down so they could remove the rest of his clothes.

“Rei…”Kai whispered reaching out to his mate, but his vision blurred into darkness.

            Shiny worked on cleaning up Reita’s hand, but he didn’t have enough bandages to wrap it up so he let it air out instead. They put a pair of scrub pants on him, then used a pillow case for a makeshift sling. Shou carefully tied it around Reita’s neck before placing his arm on it, then the two moved him onto the pallet to cover him in blankets. Hiroto held Kai’s body up as Byou wiped the alpha’s head wound off. He carefully worked on stitching the gash up as it started bleeding out again. Once he was finished, he used the last of the bandages to wrap up Kai’s head before laying him onto the pallet next to Reita. Shinya rubbed their foreheads, and found them both with fevers. He looked worriedly at Kyo. Kai and Reita both needed medicine.

~~~

            Die sniffed the ground and moved quietly through the trees as he spotted his prey nibbling on some sprouting grass. A young fawn with its mother nearby was grazing in an opening. The buck wasn’t anywhere to be seen so Die took this chance to run in. He ran towards the fawn and its mother jumped in front of it kicking her hooves at Die. But the wolf jumped up and bit into her neck tearing into it. She kicked and let out a groan as the fawn ran into the trees. Die shook his head back and forth until the deer’s neck broke.

            Die dragged his kill towards the lab and walked passed the chain-link fence where he dropped the deer next to the four rabbits, two ducks, and four silver fish from a nearby river. Toshiya and Miyavi were sitting by a couple of fires cooking some of the meats the wolf had already caught that morning. Toshiya one of which was used to make some soup in a pot they found in the break room.

“Thank you Die.” Toshiya said. “Why don’t you sit down and take a break? We’ll have some breakfast done soon. Besides we found plenty of food inside that’s still good.”

Die glared at the building then shook his head and took off back into the woods to hunt some more. Miyavi started skinning the next rabbit and smirked. “Your boyfriend is acting pretty weird.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” The alpha mumbled stirring the soup. “It’s done. I’m going to take in for them to eat. Come in once you’re done with that.”

            When Toshiya brought in the soup, Hitsugi gladly prepared bowls for everyone in the room. Shinya took two bowls, one for himself and the other for Kyo who was sitting alone against the far wall looking out at everyone. Shinya offered him a bowl before sitting next to him. Hitsugi sat two bowls by Kaoru and Aoi, but the alpha didn’t acknowledge him. He only stared at his dying omega. Koichi, Tsuzuku and Ryoga were a few feet from them chatting as they ate. Tsuzuku had ripped one of the unused scrubs to wrap up Ryoga’s wrist. It was better than nothing at least.

            Ruki gently woke Uruha up to eat and the omega was relieved to see that his friends returned home. Ruki waited for him to eat and lay back down before even touching his own bowl. Byou and Shou ate as they stayed by Reita and Kai watching over them. The two didn’t show any signs of waking up, but that didn’t stop Hitsugi from making them bowls as well. Everyone was quiet as they ate or watched others eat. They were appreciating the moment of peace while they had it.

~~~

            Kaoru sighed rubbing his hand against Aoi’s sweaty face as he continued his restless sleep. Kaoru dropped his head in defeat even when his longtime friend sat next to him. Kyo rubbed Kaoru’s back as they looked down at the pale omega gasping for air.

“I must be cursed.” Kaoru whispered. “First my family, then my pack, my home, and now…Aoi. I seem to always lose everything dear to me.”

“He’ll recover.” Kyo said trying to make his friend feel better, but they both knew it was useless. Aoi was in bad shape. A sudden cough startled them, but it didn’t come from Aoi, it came from across the room. Reita let out a few wet sounding coughs before Byou made his way to the blonde to help him sit up. They watched as Shinya made it to Reita’s side and placed his ear to the blonde’s back. Reita was told to breath, but he coughed a couple a time before he could do long enough for Shinya to hear him. They laid him back down covered him up. Shinya rubbed Reita’s face as he coughed some more.

Kyo sighed. “Looks like he’s sick again.”

~~~

            Ryoga and Tsuzuku were startled hearing Reita’s cough. Not able to just sit by and watch the blonde struggle to sleep they decided to search the lab some more. Ryoga took a lantern and followed Tsuzuku down the different hallways. They went through all the rooms again, trying to find any medicine that could help. The pack had already striped all the rooms clean so they weren’t finding all that much. They walked down the final hall with the elevator at the end. Ryoga went through the two rooms as Tsuzuku walked closer to the lift. When Ryoga walked back he noticed his mate down the hall.

“What’s up?”

“It’s an elevator.” Tsuzuku stated.

“I see that, but without electricity we can’t use it. It’s too dangerous to climb down the cables since we don’t know how many floors this building has below us. Not like Die is talking about anything either.”

“What idiot designs a building with an elevator, but no stairs?” Tsuzuku said.

Ryoga handed the lamp over to Tsuzuku and started pushing against the walls, then sniffing them until he stopped on the right wall. Tsuzuku watched as the blonde’s hand rubbed greyish metal wall and his mate suddenly hummed feeling a strange crack. Tsuzuku brought the lamp up so they could see. Ryoga pushed his fingers directly on it, pushing it in creating a handle. He moved his fingers around feeling inside to find a trigger like switch. He pushed on it and a loud click sounded before Ryoga started pulling the large block of wall in his direction. It opened up to reveal the pitch dark so Tsuzuku brought the lamp up to show stairs leading down.

“In your defense,” Ryoga said, “you were all probably tired and not thinking straight.”

“Shut up.” Tsuzuku laughed. “That was some spy movie shit right there.” They laughed as they started going down the stairs together.

            They carefully made it down the flight of stairs to the metal door at the bottom and Ryoga opened it up. They were surprised it wasn’t locked or anything, but figured since the electricity was out the locks were too. The first thing they noticed was that there was a single hall so they walked down it to an opened area. There were barred cages that lined up against the walls and at the end was another doorway. Tsuzuku whimpered out seeing the cages and Ryoga quickly hugged him to block his sight.

“Let’s get back upstairs.” Ryoga whispered, pushing the omega back. “Come on.”

            Ryoga practically dragged his mate up all while he started crying. They made it to the top and Ryoga sat the lamp down to carry Tsuzuku to the open the area with the rest of the pack. They were startled seeing the omega crying and Byou was by their side as Ryoga laid him down on a pallet.

“He’s not hurt, just shaken up.” Ryoga said. “We found the stairs to the lower floor. It was a hidden door, but…”

“But?” Kyo asked walked up to them.

“There’s cages down there.” Ryoga said before tending back to his mate. Kyo waved for others to follow with lamps and they all started down the hall to the stairs. Kyo lead Shinya, Toshiya, Shou, and Hitsugi down the staircase and to the lower the floor. They spotted the cages, but moved passed them to the next room. Shinya shivered seeing the gurneys and hospitals beds set up around them like a mini infirmary. To the left were offices were they started looking through them. Shinya was about to go to one when a metal door at the head of the room caught his attention.

            Shinya walked to it and opened it up to look inside. It was a large surgical room with one metal table in the center. Shinya felt odd being in there but began searching through the cabinets to find a lot medical supplies like bandages, syringes and so on. When he was going through the stuff, he spotted another door to the side and went to it. Opening it up, he stepped into a walk in closet sized room filled shelves of medicine bottles. Shinya grabbed one and shook it, hearing the pills move inside. He quickly started looking for a particular medicine.

“Shinya?” Kyo called.

“In here!” He shouted. “I found medicine!”

He moved around the room looking around until he found some in glass bottles. He heard his mate walking in, but he was busy reading the bottles. He smiled as he grabbed one with ‘penicillin’ written on it.

            Shinya told Shou to start going through the medicine as he ran up to the main area with the pack. He ran straight to Kaoru and Aoi where he dropped to his knees. He was quick to lift up Aoi’s arm and tap on his inner elbow to get a vein to pop up. Kaoru watched as Shinya unwrapped a syringe and poked it into the glass bottle to drain out some liquid.

“What is that?”

“Penicillin. It’ll help get rid of his infection.” Shinya said pulling the needle out. He tapped the vein some more before pushing the needle inside and injecting the antibiotic. Shinya rubbed Aoi’s sweaty face a looked Kaoru in the eye. “He’ll be okay. It’ll take a few days, but this medicine will help.”

Kaoru dropped his head and squeezed Aoi’s hand in his own. The alpha let out a shaky voice. “Thank you.”

Shinya saw water dripping onto Aoi’s arm and he patted Kaoru’s head. “I wasn’t going to let him die. I wasn’t going to let you suffer again.”

Kaoru sniffled as he nodded whispering another thank you to his friend.

~~~

            Toshiya had made his way into one of the offices and this one had five filing cabinets lined against each other. He started rummaging through the desk and the stuff on top of it, but quickly became bored with that. He spun in the office chair and rolled to the filing cabinets to start going through them. He slid open one of the doors and picked a random file to look at. The first thing he saw was the photo of a young girl. There was a name: Asuka Minori, then below was a number: 11436, and a line below that that said ‘Experiment: Senses Analysis’. He looked at the number and saw the file was labeled that same number on the tab too. He looked back at the paragraph written about having her sight and sense of touch removed.

            Ryoga threw the file on the desk not wanting to read anymore, but he stared at it. Looking at the number at the tab then he looked back the files in the cabinet. 11437, 11438…and so on, but he saw separators with numbers: 114, 115, and the numbers kept rising. He started grabbing random files and glancing at the experiment names. 114s were about senses, 115s were about amputations. Toshiya stood up to go to another cabinet and swung it open looking at the numbers on the tabs. 158, 159, 160… Toshiya closed it and leaned against the desk. He flipped through Asuka’s file and saw the pictures of her being experimented on. He flipped the papers back to the front page and noticed a second photo being hidden by a sticky note. He pulled the yellow paper off to see the photo of her naked back with a barcode tattooed on it. 11436 was printed under the code.

            Toshiya stared at it for a moment and it dawned on him when he realized he’d seen a tattoo like that before. He rubbed his head picturing Die walking in his towel back in Ravenstone City and the barcode on his upper back. Toshiya jumped to his feet. He gasped as he hesitated to open up more doors, but he did. He read up the numbers until he reached the 200s. Toshiya thought for a moment trying to remember what numbers were on Die’s back. He knew it started with a 20, but he couldn’t remember the digits that followed. He just started pulling out files and opening them, then throwing them to the side.

            With each file he tossed, he got more and more aggravated. Seeing all these faces, these wolves that were experimented on. More like tortured in some cases. Toshiya didn’t waste too much time reading but a few sentences of some and most he didn’t even bother. 20189, 20190, 20191, 20192, 20193. Toshiya gasped looking as three photos on the top page. One was of a young boy with sad eyes, the second was a teenager with red hair, and the third was an older man with long hair that had a streak of red in it. Chop all the hair of and he’s look like the Die Toshiya knew. The alpha sat down in the office chair staring at the file. He realized it was thicker than most of the ones he held. He took a deep breath and started reading over it.

“Andou Daisuke. 20193. Experiment: Genetic Status Alteration. Subject 20193 was officially identified as an omega at the age of seven. First set of injections were given July sixteenth…”

~~~

            Toshiya stomped passed the pack members with red eyes, but he waved them off as he moved towards the exit. He stepped outside were Die was by the fence skinning the deer he had caught earlier that day when he noticed the alpha standing beside him. He looked up at Toshiya with a raised eyebrow, but then noticed the file he was hold. Die’s shoulders dropped and he looked away.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Toshiya whispered.

“Let me guess, Kyo’s kicking me out.”

“I haven’t told him. I haven’t told anyone, but they wouldn’t hate for this. Die, this secret is too much for you to handle alone.”

“Don’t pull this shit!” Die growled standing up. “Don’t be all sympathetic. I don’t want yours or anybody else’s pity.”

“I’m not pitying you, I’m trying to understand you. Trying to understand why you’re so secretive and distant from us. A strong pack means trust between all of us and asking for help. Tell us the past that’s hurting you so much so we can help you.”

“Shut up!” Die yelled glaring at Toshiya. “I don’t need your help! I never needed anybody’s help. I’ve always gotten by on my own.”

Toshiya gently grabbed Die’s shoulder. “But you’re not alone. Not anymore.”

Die glared at him again, but this time his eyes were watery. “Don’t…please don’t…”

“You were never meant to be an alpha.” Toshiya whispered holding the file up.

“I was never meant to be born.” Die sighed sitting down on the ground. Toshiya sat next to him, waiting for him to talk and the other finally gave in. “My mother was taken from her pack and raped by a scientist. She eventually got pregnant with me. But that asshole, he started his experiment on me before I was even out of her. He genetically altered me to come out a male omega. Of course it wasn’t until I was seven that they started the real experiments.”

“They wanted to see if they could turn an omega into an alpha.” Toshiya said and Die nodded.

“They succeeded. That’s why omegas don’t affect me.” He sighed. “I knew I would be alone for the rest of my life because I lost my ability to connect to anybody.”

“Die…” Toshiya whispered and Die looked at him. The alpha moved in to press a soft kiss on Die’s lips.

He pulled away with a scowl. “Why did you do that?”

“To see if you felt anything. Did you?” Toshiya asked.

Die shook his head and stood up. “No I didn’t. Don’t do that. Don’t try and…and”

“Connect with you?” The alpha stood up. “What’s so bad about that?”

“I can’t feel connections!” Die yelled. “I can’t. I’ve already tried.”

“You don’t search for connections, Die. They appear when you’re ready for them. Don’t give up hope okay? You’ll find someone eventually. We all do.”

“Don’t give up? Toshiya, I don’t even know what I am! How the hell do I find someone to be with? Who says I’m even meant to be with someone? I was never meant to exist in the first place.” Die snapped and started walking away.

“Die…” He called, but the wolf kept walking away. “Please come back.”

Toshiya sighed looking down at the file in his hands. He walked to the fire still going and threw the manila folder into it. He watched as it burned into smoke before walking back inside.


	32. Not Alone

            Reita let out a wet cough and he was lifted up into Kai’s arms. The alpha grabbed a cup by them and dipped it in into a red bowel of water. He brought the cup of water to Reita’s lips for him to drink. The blonde coughed out again splashing Reita’s face with water, but the alpha wasn’t mad. Suddenly, Reita pulled away from Kai as he vomited beside them. The alpha made Reita lay back down on the pallet so he could wipe off his sweaty face. Shinya was soon at their side checking the blonde.

“He coughed too hard again.” Kai said. “Shinya it’s been a week already.”

“Lift him up.” Shinya ordered placing a stethoscope into his ears. He lifted Reita’s shirt and placed the cool metal piece against his back. The blonde struggled to take in steady breathes, but Shinya only need to hear a few before pulling away.

“So?” Kai asked.

“I’m positive it’s turned into pneumonia. We just have to keep him on his medicine. I’ll increase the dosage though. For now he just needs to rest. He can have more cough medicine now.” Shinya said taking the brown bottle by the red bowel. He field the cap that was on the lid, then had Reita drink it. “Let me check your shoulder while you’re able to sit up.”

Shinya was careful as he had Reita move his arm around in slow circles. Reita whimpered from the motion and Shinya placed it back into the makeshift sling. He looked at the yellowed bruises on his shoulder and smiled nodding to Kai to help lay the blonde back down.

“It’s healing well, but you still have to be careful with it okay.” Shinya said.

Reita nodded letting out a few coughs in the process. Shinya moved to Kai next to check his head injury. He cut the bandages away to and studied the stitches for a moment. He smiled and patted Kai’s shoulder.

“Your stitches can come out in another day or two. I’m not going to wrap it again, but be sure not scratch at it okay.”

Kai nodded and watched Shinya get to leave. The alpha took Reita’s hand as he laid next to the blonde and began sending soothing pressure into his mate so he could have a restful sleep.

            Across the room, Kaoru was sitting by Aoi, petting his head. Aoi had woken up earlier that week right after his fever broke, but has been sleeping off and on as he dealt with the fatigue caused by the pain. He would wake a couple of times long enough to drink something before falling back to sleep. The whole time Kaoru stayed by his side, refusing to leave for any reason.

            Aoi let out a soft groan as he opened up his eyes and Kaoru smiled down at him. The alpha reached for a cup of water sitting nearby and gently lifted Aoi’s head for him to drink. The omega took in three gulps before he pushed it away and slowly sat ignoring Kaoru’s protests for him not to. Aoi gave him a soft smile placing a hand onto his alpha’s chest and Kaoru’s shoulders dropped a little. He gently grabbed Aoi’s hand and brought it up to his lip to kiss. The omega laughed a little, but was suddenly pulled into rough kiss. He moaned closing his eyes and he wrapped his arms around his alpha’s neck.

“Whoa clam down now.” Shinya laughed as he sat next to them. “I haven’t even looked him over yet.”

The two pulled apart with Aoi blushing a deep red. Kaoru kissed his forehead before allowing him to sit back so Shinya could do a full examination on him. The beta checked every little thing on Aoi to make sure he was okay and soon the omega began to squirm.

“What’s wrong?” Kaoru asked.

Aoi gave a small smile. “I have to use the bathroom.”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Shinya laughed. “Go on, Kaoru will walk you out.”

~~~

            Aoi took in a deep breath as they walked outside. He looked around for a moment before going to the side to relieve himself. Kaoru waited patiently, but notice Die sitting outside the fence. The red and black haired man was staring out in the forest, but it didn’t seem like he was really looking at anything in particular. The alpha seemed completely worn down as if he hadn’t been sleeping. Die dropped his head and rubbed it with a hand.

“Kaoru?” Aoi spoke and the alpha turned to his omega. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Who knows?” He sighed. “Come on, let’s go back in.”

“Actually, I was wondering if we could do a little running.” Aoi mumbled looking away. “I feel kind of jumpy and I’d really like to burn some energy.”

Kaoru smiled and patted his shoulder. “Come on then.”

They both changed into their wolf forms and ran out past the fence into the open grass. Aoi ran around as Kaoru chased him until he suddenly turned and tackled to alpha. They rolled around nibbling at other before Aoi took off again with Kaoru chasing him.

~~~

            Die watched them from his spot at the fence wondering how nice it would be actually have a mate. He sighed to himself as Aoi jumped over Kaoru’s body then tackled him again.

“Looks like Aoi’s doing better.” Toshiya said walking up to Die. He sat next to the other alpha watched to two lovers run around each other. “I haven’t seen Kaoru actually having fun in a long time. He’s too serious for his own good.”

Die kept silence so Toshiya wasn’t sure if he was being ignored or the alpha just didn’t have anything to say.

            Toshiya sighed and patted Die’s shoulder. “Die, listen to me. It doesn’t matter if you weren’t meant to be born. Right now you’re breathing, your heart is pumping, and your mind is working. You exist and everything that lives has a purpose no matter how small. You may think that you won’t ever find anyone or connect with anyone, but you already have. You’ve connected with us, you have become a member of our pack. You won’t ever be alone again as long as we’re here. As long as I am here.” Toshiya grabbed Die’s hand and the alpha finally looked at him. “You are alive just like all of us. We all have a piece of our past that we’re not happy with. Some of us struggle more than others in dealing with our history, but that shouldn’t stop you from living. Our pasts, our scars tell us where we’ve been and how we’ve lived but that doesn’t define _who_ we are.”

Toshiya reached in and placed a soft kiss on Die’s forehead before standing up to leave. Die looked up at him and whispered. “Are you going to tell them?”

“It’s not my place to, but the sooner you tell Kyo why you refuse to go in the lab, the better. He’ll understand and he won’t make you do something that brings you pain. Whenever you’re ready, talk to him okay.”

“Easier said than done.” Die sighed.

“Hey, our pasts don’t define us. Our actions do. Don’t let your past control your future.”

~~~

            Ruki’s leg was shaking as he sat by watching Shinya look over Uruha’s body. The omega seemed completely calm though and was trying not to laugh at how nervous Ruki was being. Shinya smiled at them as he rubbed Uruha’s lump and sat up.

“Everything looks good so far. You’ve gotten bigger these past couple weeks. Are you still getting morning sickness at all?”

“No, it’s pretty much gone away. I feel nausea every once in a while, but it goes away pretty fast.” Uruha answered rubbing his stomach.

“Good. Let me know if anything out of the ordinary happens okay.”

“Of course.” Uruha said and Shinya nodded before taking his leave. He moved to go to the hallway before looking back. Ruki was sitting next to Uruha rubbing his stomach and kissing his lips. Shinya looked at Ruki’s scabbed neck and took a steady breath before heading down the hallway towards the stairwell. He reached down and rubbed his own stomach as he began down the stairs to go help Shou sort through the medicine.

~~~

            Aoi laughed as he change back into his human form rolling on his back. Kaoru changed to lay over him. They were both sweating and gasping for air. Kaoru moved down to catch Aoi’s lips and the omega happily kissed back as the alpha held his cheeks. Kaoru moaned as he moved down a little to Aoi’s neck to breath in his scent. Aoi giggled until he felt Kaoru’s erection against his leg. The omega lifted Kaoru’s head up to find his eyes glazed.

“Should we go inside?” Aoi whispered. “So I can take care of that for you.”

Kaoru groaned as he sat up and helped his omega up. They took long strides to the gate past Die, but then Aoi stopped and looked down at him. The omega knelt down by Die’s side, catching his attention. The alpha sniffed the air taking in the strong smell of pheromones then looked up at Kaoru who was glaring at them.

“I never got the chance to say thank you. You may not remember, but when Hiro had me caged up, you brought me food and water. Thank you for helping me.” Aoi whispered. He leaned over to place a kiss on Die’s forehead before standing up. Die watched wide eyed as Aoi and Kaoru moved to head back in. He rubbed the spot where Aoi kissed him and smiled. He sniffled as tears fell from his cheeks and he buried his head into his arms.

            Ryoga and Tsuzuku lying next each other cuddling when Ryoga suddenly perked up and sniffed the air. Tsuzuku rubbed his chest. “What’s wrong?”

“Alright.” Ryoga shouted catching everyone’s attention. “There’s an omega going into heat.”

The pack started whispering and sniffing each other as the omegas checked their bodies. Their attention was drawn to the hallway when they heard laughing coming from it. Aoi was giggling as Kaoru leaned on his kissing his neck, but stopped when he noticed all eyes on him. His smile dropped and he blushed looking away feeling awkward. Kyo walked over to them only to have Kaoru start growling.

Kyo sighed. “Aoi, I think your heat is starting.”

“Oh? I guess it is about that time.” He mumbled. “What should we do?”

“First, we get Kaoru to unlatch himself then we place you in a room.”

“Why can’t Kaoru come with me?” Aoi mumbled.

“Listen Aoi, I know you two have become close, but you have properly connect before a bond can be sealed.”

“We already did.” Kaoru snapped glaring at Kyo. The alpha seemed to have some of his sanity still under control for the time being at least. Kyo stared wide eyed at them.

“When?”

“When Reita was in heat. Pheromones you know.”

“I’ll get a room ready for you guys.” Hitsugi announced. “Come on IV, help me out.”

            Aoi waited by the door with Kaoru still hugging him from behind and kissing his neck all while rubbing his hips up against the omega. Aoi blushed feeling his alpha’s erection rubbing against his ass.

“Kaoru, stop…” Aoi let out a soft moan, but Kaoru pushed harder and the omega growled out snapping at him. Kaoru growled out and bit down on Aoi’s shoulder, but his omega growled again and scratched at him. Kaoru finally backed off a bit whimpering as he rubbed his head on Aoi’s shoulder.

            After a few more minutes of them going back and forth with each other their attention was caught by Hitsugi. He pointed inside and Kaoru was quick to push Aoi inside. IV went to close the door for them, but the alpha slammed it shut for him. The two omegas laughed as they started placing towels in the crack under the door.

            Inside was a mattress taken from one of the rooms in the lab and a sheet for them to use. Kaoru was quick to push Aoi down on the mattress. He let out a low growl and started to crawl over him, but Aoi growled out. The raven rolled them over so he was on top and snapping at Kaoru. The alpha whimpered out as he slowly crawled out from under Aoi and moved away from him. Aoi turned on his side, wiggling in his pants as he moaned out a little. Kaoru groaned out watching Aoi roll around on the mattress whimpering as his heat started his him at full strength.

~~~

            Reita startled Kai awake with his raspy cough and the brunette was quick to lift the blond up in his arms. Kai grabbed some water to give him and took steady gulps before coughing out the water. Kai sat him up and patted his back as he coughed up a green sticky fluid. The sound Reita coughing caught Byou’s attention and he made his way over. Reita was finally catching his breath as Byou cleaned him up.

“He’s coughing up stuff, is that bad?” Kai asked.

“No it’s normal. His lungs are just trying get out the buildup of mucus.”

“My chest hurts.” Reita whispered.

“Where at?” The alpha asked and the blonde rubbed his hand over where his ribs were at. “That’s caused by your heavy coughing. Your muscles are probably just sore from constant movement. I’m going give some more cough medicine so just take it easy.”

Reita nodded as Byou got the medicine and poured it into a cap. The blonde drunk it before laying back down with Kai placing a wet rag on his forehead. “Byou, he’s not getting better.”

“He is. Pneumonia isn’t something that can be recovered from in a day. It takes a couple of weeks. Just give him time, he’ll be fine.”

“We can’t move if he’s sick. Kyo wants to leave as soon as possible. We’ve been trekking the woods for almost a month now. Kyo wants to get to Kaoru’s home as soon as possible.”

“Kyo won’t leave you guys, no matter how long it takes for Reita to get well enough to travel.”

“I know, but…” Kai sighed looking down at his sleeping mate. “I can’t help but worry.”

“It’s in your nature.” Byou said patting his arm.

~~~

            Aoi groaned rolling on the mattress already soaked in sweat as Kaoru stared at him. Aoi managed to throw his shirt off and rolled onto his stomach as tugged at his own pants. He whimpered out and Kaoru was quick to kneel by his side. The alpha leaned over sniffing Aoi’s scent as he gently rubbed his omega’s back. Kaoru cautiously moved his hands around Aoi’s waist to unbuckle his pants. Aoi turned his head to look at Kaoru showing him watery eyes and blushing cheeks.

            Kaoru growled out as he yanked Aoi’s pants and underwear off, throwing them to the side. Aoi gasped as he sat up on his knees sticking his butt into the air and Kaoru moved behind him only for the omega to push up against him. The alpha groaned feeling his mate rubbing against his erection that was still constricted by his tight pants. Aoi pushed up against Kaoru again, whimpering out his name as he did.

            The alpha tugged at his pants as he unbuckled them and pushed them down enough to let his swollen cock out. Kaoru squeezed Aoi’s butt cheeks, making him moan out and Kaoru moaned in response. He looked around the area and found a basket holding a few bottles of lube. He grabbed one and fumbled with it trying to get the lid off. When the lid did come off, the alpha squeezed a generous amount into his hand and coated his cock with it. Kaoru placed his member between Aoi’s cheeks and started rubbing against him while pushing his cheeks together. Aoi shivered feeling his mate grinding against him.

            Aoi whimpered out, calling Kaoru’s name and that drove the alpha over the edge. He quick squeezed more lube onto Aoi’s entrance before placing his cock against him and pushed in. Aoi clawed into the mattress as he felt Kaoru entering his body. The alpha didn’t wait before he started thrusting and Aoi gasped out burying his face into the mattress and biting into it. Kaoru reached around to grip the raven’s dripping member making Aoi cry and shiver.

            Kaoru leaned over to bury his face into Aoi’s neck to breath in his scent. Aoi felt the vibrations from his alphas throat as he growled out and bit down on the raven’s shoulder. Aoi reached back to hold onto Kaoru’s neck as he the alpha continued to pound into him. Kaoru licked up his omega’s neck before forcing him to turn his head so they could kiss. Kaoru pulled away and pulled out making Aoi cry out in protest, but Kaoru forced his omega to turn over. Kaoru spread Aoi’s legs open and pulled him closer so he could thrust back into his mate. Aoi whimpered but grabbed his own cock and started massaging it his mate continued his motions.

            Kaoru leaned over to capture his mate’s lips. The alpha grabbed his mate’s thighs and laid them on his own shoulders so he could have better access. Aoi pulled away from the kiss to cry out and his alpha bit down on his neck. Aoi moaned as his stomach tensed up and his hips jerked. Warms streams of white squirted onto his own stomach and chest. Kaoru grunted when Aoi tightened around him and he felt his body suddenly release. Kaoru collapsed onto his mate, allowing Aoi’s legs to fall back to the floor.

            The two laid there gasping for air, until Kaoru slowly sat and up looked into Aoi’s eyes. He took in the sight his omega’s pink cheeks, wet hair, and sweat rolling down his face. Kaoru closed his eyes as he leaned down to kiss Aoi on the lips. The raven hummed as he wrapped his arms around Kaoru’s neck pulling him closer.

~~~

            Die sniffed the air as he lifted his head up looking around the forest. He was in his wolf form hunting for more food. Toshiya told him it wasn’t needed, but it was more to burn his energy than anything else. His ears twitched as he heard something moving in the grass nearby. Die’s hair raised up along his neck as he slowly walked through the trees and bushes. He peeked through some leaves to see a small deer eating on its own. He licked his snout and took charge to attack. The little deer was startled and took off, but Die chased after it as it squealed out.

            The deer went around some trees and Die followed close behind only to stop when he saw the herd. A large buck grunted out as it raised up on its hind lands kicking its hooves toward Die. The wolf dropped his ears and the buck charged at him as he ran away. The buck struck Die with its antlers and threw him up into the air. The wolf whimpered out when he landed and the buck started charging forward again. Die jumped his feet growling out as the buck drew closer and he got ready fight back when a grey wolf jumped through the air. Toshiya growled out biting onto the buck’s neck as he tackled him down. Die was quick to jump in and help take down the buck.

            The two worked together to drag the buck back to the lab skin and store for later. They made it up to the fence where Die let the buck drop from his mouth. He turned away to head back into the forest, but Toshiya was quick to cut him off from leaving. They both changed into their human forms to face each other.

“What?” Die asked softly, but Toshiya moved closer to him.

“You can’t keep running.” He sighed. “You don’t have to face your fears right now, but you can’t keep doing this.”

Die moved to walk away, but Toshiya grabbed his arm. The alpha held onto Die and pulled him closer. Toshiya rubbed Die’s cheeks as he moved in and it made Die blush. Toshiya moved a little closer, hesitating as he pressed his lips against Die’s. The alpha was shaking, but he closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Toshiya slipped his tongue in as they kissed each other and their arms circled each other in an embrace.

~~~

            Kyo walked outside to inspect the area since Kaoru was preoccupied. Kyo looked around sniffing the air as looked around, but froze when he spotted Toshiya and Die making out. Toshiya had slowly pulled away, but Die leaned in to kiss him again and the other alpha rubbed his neck. Kyo glared and clenching his fists. He was about ready to go separate them when a cold hand grabbed his own. He looked back to find Shinya smiling at him.

“Is it so wrong that you have to interfere?”

“We know nothing of Die. He could still betray us.”

“And yet you allow him to stay.” Shinya said with a smile. “Deep down you know he’s not a threat. Besides, he hasn’t really opened up to anyone except for Toshiya. He’s scared of us, of this place. He may be an alpha, but something is making him act like a lost little puppy.”

Kyo sighed as he rubbed his thumb over Shinya’s skin. “Okay. I will talk to him.”

“No. Let him come to you.” Shinya said. “Something tells me he’ll be motivated to get on your good side.”

Kyo looked back at the two making out before smiling at his mate. “What would I do without you?”

Shinya laughed and tugged for his mate to follow him around the building to go on nice little walk together.

            Kaoru groaned as he laid on his back and Aoi climbed over him. His alpha gripped his hips as he slowly went down, taking Kaoru inch by inch. Aoi moaned out as he fully took his mate and began bouncing on him. Kaoru moaned out thrusting up as Aoi pushed down and they went with this rhythm. Aoi rode his mate and reached down to hold onto Kaoru’s hands. Kaoru rubbed his hands up Aoi’s sides to his chest where he massaged this thumbs on the raven’s nipples.

            Kaoru rubbed Aoi’s chest before grazing his fingers down his raven’s stomach and lower. Aoi gasped out when the alpha gripped his member and started pumping at it.

“K…Kaoru…” He cried out and Kaoru growled thrusting up harder. Kaoru grabbed Aoi’s neck to pull him down for a kiss. They both moaned into each other’s mouths, but Kaoru let out a low growl. He gripped Aoi’s hips and pushed them down as he thrusted up with a grunt. He bit down on Aoi’s shoulder as he came. Aoi let out low moan and was turned over so his mate laying over him. Kaoru pulled out as he kissed down Aoi’s pale neck, down his chest and stomach then lower. Aoi clenched Kaoru’s hair when he wrapped his lips around the raven’s swollen cock.

            Kaoru sucked down as his hand played with Aoi’s balls and the omega withered underneath him finally coming in his mouth. Kaoru sucked, drinking down the seeds before he pulled off. He slowly climbed over his gasping mate’s body. Kaoru kissed Aoi’s lips just before he drifted off to sleep. The alpha took this chance to scent his mate and rest his body. Aoi would wake back up soon and Kaoru needed the break when he could get it.

~~~

            Melody was walking with Miyavi as they discussed plans for their children when they spotted Byou and Shou were bickering outside a door. Byou was pushing a plastic container with water bottles and food inside onto Shou, but the omega was pushing it back. The two were arguing about who would take it in and who would stay out.

“What are you two doing?” Melody asked crossing her arms.

“Shou forgot to stock the room before the love birds went in and I was ordering him to take it in, but he’s not listening.” Byou snapped.

“Why don’t you grow some balls and do it yourself?” Shou retorted and Byou glared at him. Melody rolled her eyes before taking the basket from Byou. They watched as she quickly opened the door up and quickly slid the basket inside before shutting the door again. She turned to them with raised eyebrows and walked away with her mate in tow.

“She thinks you’re an idiot.” Shou laughed.

“She thinks you’re one too, dumbass.” Byou said slapping Shou on the back of the head.


	33. Hellhounds

            Aoi woke up to the sight of a chest moving up and down. He smiled as he placed a small kiss on his mate’s shoulder and Kaoru let out a soft hum. Aoi moved up enough for them to kiss and Kaoru sat them both up as he continued to make out with the omega. Aoi sat on his mate’s lap as they cuddled with each other. Kaoru placed soft kisses on along Aoi’s chest and jaw tickling his skin.

“I guess it’s time we go out and get cleaned up.” Kaoru sighed.

“Already?” Aoi groaned and his mate laughed.

“We can lay for a little longer then.” Kaoru said laying back down with his mate.

            Kai was downstairs with a few others collecting supplies into boxes and bags. He filled up a box and lifted it up to take back upstairs to the main area. Once he got up as saw the piles of different supplies from medicine to clothes to bandages. Shinya had a checklist as each omega sat at each pile separating things even more. Kai sat down his box and Shou walked to it to start putting things in their piles. The alpha sighed looking at Reita still laying on his pallet, so he walked over to the blonde.

            Kai sat down next to him and Reita’s eyes opened up. The omega gave a small smile along with a weak cough.

“How are you feeling?” Kai asked.

“Tired.” Reita’s voice was raspy. “But I’m fine. Feeling a lot better.”

“Good, do you need anything?”

“Water.”

Kai nodded and was quick to pour him a glass of water. Reita raised up to take the glass and he chugged it before laying back down. Kai rubbed Reita’s cheek before placing a kiss on the blonde’s forehead.

“He’s getting better.” Shinya said kneeling next to them. He patted Reita’s leg with a smile. “Surprisingly with your immune system you got better pretty fast. How’s your arm feeling?”

“Still sore, but I can move it more now.”

“Good. Do what your mate told you to and rest.” Shinya said before walking back. Kai slipped into the covers next Reita and pulled him into a hug so he push a steady amount of pressure into the blonde. Reita was quick to relax and fall deep into the pressure sphere.

            Die looked around as he walked through the forest sniffing the air around him. He jumped over a root and continued trekking through bushes. He spotted a rabbit chewing on a leaf as he slowed his movements down carefully walking closer not wanting to startled a good meal. He licked his snout as he stepped closer, but then his ears perked at the sound of a branch breaking. The rabbit lifted its head before taking off into the bushes and Die kept his body low listening as whatever was moving came closer. He could hear voices as the bushes shook and then two men in black jumpsuits, rifles, and black helmets walked out. They both had sigils of a dog with horns and spikes on its back. Die froze not wanting them to spot him.

“They couldn’t have gotten far, right?”

“It’s been well over a week, the wolves that killed Richard and Zain are probably long gone. That crazy bat wants us to keep searching everywhere though.”

“Well she said that wolves take over new territories all the time. Who knows maybe they’re still nearby.”

“We’re already way out of our normal grid. The doctor needs to pack up and find a new location.”

“Well, maybe after the troops get back from checking out the old lab she’ll finally give up.”

Die’s ears perked up. ‘The old lab? No!’

            He stepped back to sneak away, but he stepped on a stick making it snap. The two men raised their guns turning in his direction. They walked closer to where he was hiding and he stayed absolutely still. One of the men dropped his gun and shook his head.

“It was probably a squirrel. Let’s go.”

The second man kept looking into the bush and grabbed it to move the leaves to the side. Die didn’t wait as he growled out and jumped to attack him. Die bit into his neck, but he heard a gunshot and felt a sting in his back leg. He pulled away from the dead man and growled at the second soldier who was shaking. Die jumped up as he shot again, but the wolf tackled him to the floor and chewed into his chest. Die pulled away, his snout dripping with blood, but he didn’t wait before running. He had to hurry.

~~~

            Kaoru stretched as he finally sat up and tugged his whiny mate up with him. They slipped into some clothes and stepped out of the room. Kaoru held Aoi’s hand as they walked down the hallway to where everyone was. The pack looked up all together smelling the strong scent of pheromones. They smiled at the two and started clapping. Kyo walked over to them and hugged his friend as the omega circled around Aoi to congratulate him as well.

“I’m so happy for you my friend.” Kyo said pulling away. “Now, how about you guys go get cleaned up.”

~~~

            Die jumped through the bushes and ran towards the lab, but stopped suddenly at the fence. He was breathing hard staring at the lab doors whimpering to himself. He stepped past the gate, but froze again.

            _A doctor raised a needle up in the air and squirted some out before stabbing the needle into Die’s arm. Die screamed out as his arm began to burn as the liquid flowed through his veins. He tried to pull from the restraints, but he couldn’t break from them as he was injected with another substance._

Die gasped as the memory flashed in his head. His ears dropped along with his tail as he stepped back, but the sound of people in the distance brought his head back to reality. He whimpered out taking another step through the fence dunking his head. He heard someone walking up ahead and spotted Kaoru, Aoi, and Kyo walking out of the front door. Die whimpered out which caught their attention.

“Die?” Kyo called and the alpha flinched before slowly change forms. The pack leader took notice of the blood on Die face and the small bloody gash on his calf.

“K-Kyo.” He whimpered. “Soldiers are coming. They’ll be here in minutes.”

Kyo growled out with a glare. “Damn it!” Kyo snapped as he, Kaoru and Aoi ran back in, but Die remained in his spot. He turned hearing people nearing the lab and changed into a brown wolf.

            Kyo rushed into where the pack was gathered going through supplies. Ryoga and Tsuzuku were laughing as they pushed each other while Shou and Byou bickered about what pile a towel went into. Melody and Miyavi were packing things into a bag as Hitsugi handed them more bandages. Koichi came out of the hallway carrying a box and sat it down by Hiroto. Uruha and Ruki were both going through bandages and packing them up as IV sat by them doing the same but with cleaning wipes. Kai and Reita were cuddle up sleeping by Ruki. Shinya wrote on a clipboard when he looked up to look at Kyo.

“What’s wrong?” Shinya asked. Everyone looked towards him then to Kyo.

“Drop everything, we have to move now.” Kyo ordered, but when no one moved he snapped. “Now!”

            Everyone started getting up as Ruki shook Kai and Reita awake. The two were groggy as they sat up, but Kai noticed the panic around him and pulled Reita up to his feet. Kyo lead the way out of the lab with his pack following close behind. They came out and spotted Die growling towards the woods.

“Kyo.” Ryoga called grabbing Tsuzuku’s hand, “We’re surrounded.”

Kyo squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath as he turned to face his pack. “We make a run for it. Don’t stop, just run.”

“Kyo…” Shinya gasped.

“We can’t win against guns.” Kyo said. “Get ready.”

“Uruha, when I change get on my back and don’t let go.” Ruki ordered and his mate nodded.

“Ryoga is there an opening anywhere?” Kyo asked.

Ryoga scanned the area sniffing, listening, and looking. He let out a soft breath. “This way.” Ryoga said grabbing Tsuzuku’s hand and he took off running. The pack followed him out of the fence and to the right. Toshiya looked back at Die still growling.

“Die!” Toshiya shouted and the wolf turned to look at him. Die took off in their direction following them.

“They’re getting away!” Someone shouted.

            Kyo looked back to see groups of soldiers in all black with full faced helmets running after them holding assault rifles. He growled out. “Change!”

Kyo jumped into the woods, changing into his wolf form as the pack did the same. They heard guns going off behind them as they went into the trees. Ruki stopped for a moment after he took his wolf form so Uruha could get on his back then he took off running. Reita was starting to change when he heard the sound of a gun go off and felt a sting in his back. He whimpered out feeling his head spin and his body became heavy. Kai looked back in time to see Reita hit the ground and he quickly turned around to run to his mate’s side. Kai spotted the soldiers getting closer as he picked his mate up princess style and began running behind the pack.

            Shinya gasped when he tried to change, but his body wouldn’t shift. He glanced down at his twitching hands as he ran forward watching his pack disappearing into the trees. He spotted Kai to the side carrying Reita’s limp body. Shinya looked ahead just as another soldier popped out from behind a tree. Shinya stopped in his tracks and looked behind him as he was surrounded by the soldiers. He whimpered out and looked ahead just in time to see Kyo look back and stop in his tracks.

“Kyo…” Shinya whimpered just as he was shot in the back. He felt a pain and his vision blurred to darkness before he could even hit the ground.

            “Shinya!” Kyo called and moved to run back for his mate, but Kaoru cut him off.

“No, Kyo, it’s too late.”

Kyo growled. “My mate!”

“It’s too late! You have a duty to get your pack out of here.” Kaoru snapped.

A gunshot sounded and the bullet flew past their heads. Kyo growled as he turned to run the other way with Kaoru and Aoi by his side. He glanced back once more before howling for his pack to run faster.

            Kai groaned as he jumped over a tree root, but stopped in his tracks. He growled out as three soldiers surrounded him, aiming their guns. He turned to see more soldiers walking up behind him. Kai looked down at Reita and whimpered out then grunted after a gunshot sounded. As he fell to his knees and he dropped Reita’s body before falling on him. His vision grew dark as he tried grabbing at his mate, but he couldn’t find Reita’s hand before passing out.

            Uruha hanged onto Ruki’s fur as he jumped through the bushes and ran past more trees as the sound of gunshots filled the air. Ruki didn’t look back as kept moving and he spotted Toshiya and Die running ahead of him. He let out a bark to let them know he was behind and Toshiya responded with a short howl. Ruki was catching up with them when he felt a sharp sting hit his side. He whimpered as his vision began to blur then suddenly collapsed, throwing Uruha off his body. Uruha cried out when he landed and moved to get up, but was shot by a soldier running up to them.

            Toshiya looked back when he heard a whimper behind him and stopped in his tracks when saw his friends on the ground. Die slid to a stop by him. Toshiya looked to him before taking off towards his friends and Die growled as he ran back as well. They charged in as a soldier ran up and aimed his gun, but Die jumped over Toshiya. He landed hard on the soldier and tore into his body. Toshiya ran closer but was cut off by another soldier and he jumped to attack him. The man lifted his gun up and Toshiya bit down on it as they fell to the ground. Die looked as more soldiers came running towards them. He changed into his human form and picked Ruki up, throwing the brunette over his shoulder. He moved to grab Uruha but another soldier came out from a tree with a gun aiming at Die’s head.

            Before any of them could react, IV jumped out of nowhere biting into the man’s arm, knocking the rifle out of his hand. Die ran back as Toshiya pulled the gun from his attackers hand and bit into his neck. IV moved to do the same, but the soldier he had pinned pulled a small pistol out. Die and Toshiya were startled by the three gunshots and they looked over to see the omega rolling over changing into his human form. He coughed up a mouth full of blood as he wheezed and blood soaked from three spots on his chest. His chest stopped moving and Toshiya whimpered out.

“No!” Toshiya growled out.

“Toshiya run!” Die called as he took off running.

Toshiya whimpered out looking at Uruha lying motionless, then at IV, and then up at the soldiers running their way. He turned and took off behind Die. “I’m sorry.”

            Ryoga and Tsuzuku ran through the trees along with Koichi and Hiroto. Gunshots sounded all around them as Ryoga led them through the bushes. They jumped over a log, but when Tsuzuku landed, he hit a patch of leaves and slid. He whimpered as he fell. Ryoga looked back and turned sharply to go back. As he did he spotted soldiers a little ways away aiming their rifles at his omega. He growled out as he slid in front of Tsuzuku just as a gun went off. He whimpered as he was hit in the chest, but turned and nudged his omega to get up.

            Tsuzuku jumped to his feet and the two started running again. Ryoga whimpered as he felt his body get hit two more times in the leg and side, but growled as he pushed the small group forward. As they twisted through the trees Ryoga’s sight began to blur, but he shook his head trying to ignore it. Suddenly two soldiers came out of nowhere and aimed their guns. Ryoga jumped into the air to attack as Tsuzuku did the same. They were quick to dispatch the two and were about to start moving again when Ryoga heard a tree branch snap. Tsuzuku started to run with Koichi when the alpha noticed a gun pointing at his omega.

“Tsu!” He shouted as he jumped in front of Tsuzuku’s body as the man shot off three rounds. Tsuzuku whimpered seeing his alpha fall in front of him. Koichi and Hiroto worked together to tackle to the soldier down.

Tsuzuku watched as Ryoga changed into his human form and so he did the same. Tsuzuku started to cry as he lift Ryoga up in his arms. He noticed weird things sticking out of the alpha’s chest and side

“What are these? Are you okay?” Tsuzuku whimpered.

Ryoga reached up to rub Tsuzuku on the cheek. “It’s okay… run Tsu…just run…it’s a tran…tranquilizer…Run Tsu…zuku…”

“No, Ryoga!” He cried as his alpha’s body fell limp, but Koichi was by his side pulling him.

“We have to run Tsu!”

“No…”

“He’ll be okay!” Koichi said pulled Tsuzuku away, forcing him to drop Ryoga. They heard more people coming and Tsuzuku pulled away. He leaned over Ryoga’s still body and pressed as kiss on his lips.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered before changing back and running with the other two omegas.

~~~

            Kyo trudged on with Aoi, Kaoru, Melody, and Miyavi following close behind him. They listened closely to any movements around them as walked through the trees and into an open area. Kyo stopped in the middle, listening, sniffing, and looking around until he changed in his human form. He didn’t have to say anything for his pack to know that this is where they would stay and wait for the rest of their pack. Kaoru changed back and slowly approached his friend to reach out to him.

“Don’t.” Kyo snapped. “Don’t touch me.”

“Kyo…”

“I left him.” Kyo growled as he turned to glare at Kaoru with watery red eyes. “You told me my pack needed me. My pack is separated, I could have gone back for him!”

“You would have been killed, then we could have been left leaderless and broken.” Kaoru barked, then sighed. “I know when it comes to Shinya you don’t think straight—”

“Shut up!” Kyo growled. “My mate means more to me than you do.”

Kaoru took a deep breath. “I know, but when it comes to him being in danger you abandon your duties as a leader. You need to know when to be a pack leader or you need to step down because if you don’t you’re going to get us all killed.”

Kyo growled as his body began to change and Kaoru stepped closer growling. Aoi stepped forward, but Melody pulled him back. “Don’t get in between them you’ll only get hurt.”

            Kyo jumped forward changing as Kaoru did the same and they landed hard on the ground before rolling in the dirt. They bit and clawed into each other’s flesh. Kaoru growled tearing into Kyo’s side, but he wasn’t biting hard enough to do a lot of damage, but Kyo was digging his teeth into his friend’s side. They pulled away, but Kyo attacked Kaoru once more. This time though, Kaoru pushed back throwing Kyo into the dirt. The two pulled apart and jumped back growling at each other when the sound trees rustling caught their attention.

            They all looked into the bushes growling low ready to attack when three familiar wolves slowly came through. Melody sighed as her shoulders dropped and the three wolves changed. Byou, Hitsugi, and Shou walked up with small smiles, but growling caught their attention and they looked at their pack leader. Kyo was growling and Kaoru bared his fangs once more.

“What the hell is going?” Shou gasped.

“Fight for leadership.” Melody said sternly.

“Why? Kaoru are you insane?” Byou snapped, but the two alphas charged into each other again. Kaoru rolled them over before slamming Kyo on his back.

He growled out. “I don’t want to be pack leader! I’ve already failed to be one, but Kyo…” Kaoru said softly changing back into a human. “You are a great leader. This pack looks up to you, they need you. They need you to have a clear head right now more than ever.”

They watched as Kaoru pulled off and stepped back. Kyo sat up changing back and he stood up to look Kaoru straight on. His eyes becoming watery.

“I couldn’t protect my mate.”

~~~

            Tsuzuku sniffled as he followed Koichi and Hiroto. The sky was growing darker so all they had to do was wait for nightfall and they’d have the advantage. For now they had to be careful as they moved around. It seemed to have gotten quiet, so they started to move back. They weren’t sure where to go so maybe they needed to go back to the lab. They snuck around listening for anyone walking nearby, so every movement was slow and careful. As they approached the area they came from, they heard people talking and quickly ducked. They crawled on their stomach and peeked through some bushes.

            They spotted Reita and Kai laying side by side surrounded by soldiers and there was a woman with long brown hair in a ponytail. She was wearing a white coat and she wore glasses, too. She was looking over them before standing up a nodding.

“These are excellent specimens.” She said. “Load them up, we’re taking them to the facility. The radio said that three more were caught correct?”

“Yes ma’am and one was killed in a struggle.”

“Make sure to shoot the man who wasted a good specimen.” She ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We need to get out of here. Now.” Koichi whispered. The three slowly moved back making sure they remained silent. They did this until they were sure nobody would chase them and they took off running.

~~~

            Die and Toshiya stumbled through the forest sniffing the air. Ruki hung limply from Die’s shoulder as they walked past the trees in silence. Toshiya stopped after catching his pack’s scent and they started moving faster. After a few minutes they could hear talking and Toshiya smiled knowing Byou’s annoying voice. They slipped through some trees and all eyes were on them as they walked into the opening. Byou rushed in to take Ruki from Die’s hold. Toshiya looked at Kaoru and Kyo who were standing in front of each other. The pack leader seemed to have been crying, but he was quick to dry his tears.

Toshiya swallowed hard before speaking. “They…they shot and killed IV.” Everyone gasped out and Toshiya looked away. “He was trying to help us and one of those bastards shot him with a pistol.”

“Damn it!” Kyo growled turning around.

“How’s Ruki doing?” Toshiya asked Byou as he looked the brunette over.

“What the?” The alpha whispered pulling a metal needle out of Ruki’s side and stared at it for a moment. “Is this… a tranquilizer?”

 Die rubbed his head and looked at Toshiya before taking a deep breath. “Yes.” They all looked at him when spoke up so he continued. “These guys are a part of a group called the Hellhounds. They once occupied the lab were staying in.”

“What?” Kyo growled turning to glare at Die. “You knew about them and you didn’t warn us?”

“I didn’t think they would attack us. The lab was abandoned.”

 _“You should have told us!”_ Kyo growled. _“We would have left after the storm! My mate would be here with me! My pack wouldn’t have been endangered.”_

“Kyo, wait.” Toshiya spoke.

“Silence!” The leader snapped then glared at Die. “I warned you that if you risked my pack I would kill you.”

“Kyo stop it, you don’t understand!” Toshiya yelled, but Kyo stomped over, his hair raising on his head as his teeth sharpened. Toshiya moved in front of Die, but Kyo was quick to shove him to the side. Die only stood there with a solemn expression. Kyo grabbed Die by his neck and dug his nails into his skin.

“Kyo please stop!” Toshiya shouted. Kyo looked down and found the alpha in tears.

He glared at Die as he pushed him to the side. “Get away from here. You’re not a member of my pack and you never will be. Get out of my sight before I tear you to pieces.”

Die stood up and nodded before walking away. Toshiya jumped to his feet to go after him, but Kyo put an arm in front of him. “You’re staying.”

“Get out of my way Kyo!”

“You’re a member of my pack and you will do what I say!” Kyo snapped. “Or you can leave and never come back.”

Toshiya pushed Kyo’s arm away and took a step forward, but Die wouldn’t stand for it. “Totchi, you need stay with your pack. It’s where you belong.”

“Die—”

The red and black haired wolf smiled. “Thanks Totchi, for giving me a chance. I’ll miss you.”

Toshiya watched with watery eyes as Die walked away. He whimpered out as Die changed into his brown wolf and took off into the night.

            Melody moved to rub Toshiya’s arm, but he pushed her off and stomped away from the group. Kyo sighed as he sat down and rubbed his face as Kaoru sat down next to him.

“If Shinya was here, he wouldn’t have let me done that.” Kyo whispered.

Kaoru smirked. “So why did you?”

“He needed to leave.”

“Well, then, there’s not much more to say.” Kaoru said patting his back. “Toshiya will get over it in a few days.”

“I don’t think so.” Kyo whispered.

“Oh?”

“I saw them kissing.”

Kaoru stared at him wide-eyed and jaw dropped. “Oh Kyo…you fucked up.”

~~~

            As Tsuzuku, Koichi, and Hiroto ran through, they spotted a familiar brown wolf running off into some trees. Tsuzuku took a sharp turn with the other two following and they chased after him. When Tsuzuku spotted him, he howled out and Die looked back. The brown wolf slowed to a stop and changed as the three changed as well.

“Die!”

The alpha nodded then pointed. “The pack is about a ten minute run in that direction. You can’t miss them.”

“Where are you going?” Tsuzuku asked.

Die froze, but dropped his shoulders and looked down. “I’m sorry. I knew about the men who attacked, or at least of them. I didn’t know they would find us. I told Kyo and he kicked me out.”

“So you knew them? Do you know why they attacked us?”

“Yes.”

“Then you know where their taking our friends?”

“Hold up,” Hiroto spoke up. “Why _did_ they attack us?”

“To experiment on you. Like they did on me.” Die admitted. “They see our kind as specimens… as things that can be used as lab rats.”

“They took my mate, they took Ryoga, so they could experiment on him.” Tsuzuku whimpered. “And Kyo made you leave?”

“He didn’t give me a chance to explain.”

“You know where they’re taking my mate right?” The omega asked.

Die nodded. “I have an idea, yes.”

“Then you’re going to take me there.”

“No, we have to get back to the pack.” Koichi snapped.

“You can go. Tell Kyo, I’m getting my mate back with or without him. He can come find us if he wants to help.” Tsuzuku said glaring at Die. “You are going to take me and you _are_ going to help me get my Ryoga back.”


	34. Experiment

            Ruki woke with a start, his heart pounding and his head spinning. He was quick to sit up and look around as he gasped for air.

“Uruha?” He whimpered out and looked around as Byou came to his side.

“Hey, hey calm down. Take deep breathes.”

“Where’s my mate?” Ruki snapped.

Byou looked back at Kyo who nodded, but it wasn’t the alpha who spoke. It was Toshiya. “Die and I saw you two go down, we went to help, but we only managed to grab you.”

“Grab me?” Ruki asked standing on shaky legs. “Grab me? You should have grabbed Uruha! He’s carrying my child! I had rather been killed than those bastards take my mate!”

“I’m sorry.” Toshiya snapped. “Die got to you first and grabbed you. He was going to get Uruha, but more soldiers came.”

“He shouldn’t have even touched me! You should have saved Uruha!” Ruki growled as charged in to tackle Toshiya to the ground. Toshiya stayed still as Ruki threw a few good punches before Melody and Kaoru pulled him off. Kyo stepped forward and knelt in front of him.

“We will get them back, but we can’t if we’re fighting amongst each other. Now clear your head and calm down.”

“How will we get them back?” Ruki whimpered. Tears began rolling down his cheeks. “ _I was supposed to protect him. I couldn’t…”_

“We will save him.” Kyo stated. “I promise.”

~~~

            _Reita stared up at the oak tree, his wolf-self sitting next to him. Some of the leaves were turning yellow around the redden fruit that was hanging from a low branch. Reita reached down petting the white wolf’s fur as they stared up at the swaying tree branches._

            Reita opened his eyes, his vision was blurry, but everything cleared as he blinked and sat up. He groaned rubbing his head, but his eyes grew wide when he noticed Kai. His mate was in a glass room, banging on the wall yelling as he stared at Reita. The blonde gasped seeing his mate in a white outfit and he had a white collar around his neck. Around his wrists and ankles had white shackles on them. Reita whimpered out feeling his own neck, but his fingers bumped a cold piece of metal. His body shook as he looked down at the white shackles on his wrists and ankles.

            Warm tears rolled down Reita’s cheeks as he screamed and tried pulling the metal constraints off. He jumped off the hard bed he was laying on as he looked around. He was in a room surrounded by glass walls except for the ones on his left and behind him which were solid concrete. Across from him Kai had similar boundaries. He looked to his right and found Uruha, sitting on his knees on the bed looking at the blonde banging on the glass wall. Across from Uruha was Shinya standing there looking in his direction. Reita noticed that neither of them were wearing collars, but they were still caged up.

            His chest began to burn as he tried to breath, but it felt like nothing he wasn’t getting any air into his lungs. He stumbled back falling against the back wall. He lifted his knees up as he gripped his blonde hair and dropped his head.

“This can’t be happening again.” He whimpered. Suddenly, a calming warmth fill his chest and then throughout his body. He took a deep breath finally feeling air fill his lungs as he looked up. Kai was standing there, his hand against the glass as he stared at the omega. Reita gave a small smile and a nod to his mate, thanking him for calming him down.

Reita stood on shaky legs as he walked closer to the glass where he placed his hand on it as he looked at his mate. That’s when he noticed a metal operating table and light in the middle of the room. Reita looked over at Uruha who was now standing, but Reita noticed the figure in the cage next to the brunette. Ryoga was laying on the bed almost motionless except for his faint breathing. Reita couldn’t believe this was happening to them. Where was the rest of their pack?

~~~

            Kyo was pacing around as his pack sat around fires waiting for his command as the sun rose high in the sky. Toshiya was off to the side keeping to himself and if someone came near him, he’d growl making them back off. He didn’t want to speak with anyone, not now. Hiroto and Koichi were off to the side worried about not only their missing pack members, but also Tsuzuku. Kyo had not been happy about the omega leaving with Die, but he understood. Kyo finally stopped walking and turned to face his pack.

“We’re going to get them.” He announced catching the pack’s attention. “First we need to go back to the lab.”

“What? Kyo, those soldiers will be there.” Kaoru said.

“I know, that’s the point. We’ll have to be precise to take them down, but we need one alive. We need one to guide us to where they took our family.”

“We wouldn’t need a prisoner if you hadn’t thrown Die out.” Toshiya snapped standing up to walk over. “You heard Koichi, Die has a pretty good idea were the second lab is located, but you threw him out before you could even give him a chance to speak.”

“He endangered my pack.”

            “He told you the lab wasn’t safe!” Toshiya yelled. “He told you that, but you went ahead and had all of us stay there. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

“Toshiya, you’re out of line.” Kaoru growled.

“I’m speaking the truth. None of you wanted Die here. None of you cared to listen to him, to hear him, to accept him as a fellow wolf. You couldn’t get rid of the image of him being an enemy.”

“Die attacked us.” Melody snapped. “He was a part of Hiro’s pack, a pack that tormented us, attacked us, tortured and sold omegas as whores. He almost raped Reita.”

“He wouldn’t have done it!”

“You don’t know that.” Byou sighed.

“I do know that because I took the time to talk to him and to get to know him. He told me his past and trust me with it. Not only would he not rape an omega…he couldn’t.” Toshiya said and the pack began whispering among themselves. “Die has a rough past like all of us…a past I have no right to speak of, but I will tell you this Kyo. He was scared. He put on that tough act to keep it hidden, but it completely feel apart when we took shelter in the lab.”

“What are you saying?” Kyo asked.

            “He knew about the lab, about the soldiers call Hellhounds, and even knew there was another lab nearby. He knew all of this for a good reason. Kyo, he was tortured there and whenever he joined a pack and told them his past, he was thrown away. He was terrified of you kicking him out like everyone else.”

Everyone looked to Kyo, waiting for him to respond. He took a deep breath before looking at them all. “If we leave now, we’ll arrive about nightfall where we’ll have the advantage.”

“What about Tsuzuku?” Koichi whimpered.

“If Toshiya is right, then Die will take him to the same place. We’ll meet up with them at the second lab. We’ll settle everything after we get the rest of our pack back.”

“But…”

Kyo gabbed the pink head’s shoulders. “If Die was tortured by the same people, what do you think is happening to Shinya? To Reita, Kai, Uruha, and Ryoga? Every minute we wait, is a minute they’re being hurt.”

~~~

            Reita sat against his concrete wall as Kai did the same across from him and they stared at each other. Kai would send the occasional smile pressing his hand against the glass and his mate would do the same. Uruha sat quietly on the hard bed glancing between everyone as Shinya paced his cage and Ryoga continued to sleep. He caught something in the corner of his eye and he looked to the left as both Reita and Kai stood up. Three people came in wearing white coats and four more behind them in the black clothes just like the soldiers from before.

            A woman with long brown hair in a ponytail and black circular glasses led them in and she stopped in front of Reita’s cage. The blonde backed up as the woman spoke something to her men. The wolves couldn’t hear what she was saying, but the soldiers moved in as the male scientist with spiky black hair swiped a card through a keypad opening the glass door. Reita moved back growling as he moved up against the back wall. He spotted Kai punching at his glass wall yelling with a red face. The woman smiled.

“Calm down now.” She said.

“Get away from me.” Reita growled.

“We can do this easy way or the hard way.” She said and a soldier walked closer. Reita was quick to throw a punch into the soldiers face. However, Reita was quickly subdued by the other men and his face was slammed into the hard mattress. He was forced onto his knees as his arms were held against his back. Reita was forced to look at Kai who was struggling to break out. Reita whimpered feeling his mate’s anger, distress and pain. Blood smeared against the glass as Kai punched it.

            The third scientist, a female with very short brown hair, pulled out an odd gun. The barrel was not of metal, but a glass vial with a purple liquid, and instead of a muzzle was a long needle. The three soldiers held Reita down tightly as the fourth soldier grabbed his blonde hair and yanked his head to side, exposing his neck. The scientist jabbed the needle into his neck and pulled the trigger injecting the substance.

            Reita clawed into his palms, his body trying to change into a wolf, but the collar restricted him too much. The scientist pulled the needle out and popped the vial out and slipped it into her coat pocket. Then she pulled out a vial with lightly blue clear liquid and inserted the vial into the gun. The soldier yanked Reita’s head to the other side, so the scientist could inject the serum into his neck. While she was doing all this, the other female scientist was writing things down on a clipboard.

            The group let Reita go and they vacated the cage closing the blonde in. Reita whimpered curling into a ball on the floor. Kai could only watch helplessly in his cage falling to his knees clenching his chest. He couldn’t bear feeling the fear of his mate and he broke down.

            Shinya was banging on his own glass wall watching the scene as they all walked out of Reita’s cage. The woman with long hair looked into Kai’s cage, then into Uruha’s before walking up to Shinya’s door. The male scientist swiped his card again to open the door up and Shinya moved back as the woman walked in alone with a smile.

“What did you do to Reita?” Shinya growled, but he could hide his shaking hands.

“You mean subject 032? You’ll see. I’ve had a particular experiment in mind, but I’ve never managed to capture a mated couple at the same time to perform it. Now I have the perfect specimens.”

“Leave them alone!” Shinya ordered, but the woman laughed.

“I know you might be use to giving orders out, being a beta and all, but here you have no control.” She said and Shinya gasped with wide eyes. “Oh, yes we examined every one of you while you were unconscious. We know 032 is an omega that had surgery done to remove his uterus, yet it seems he’s one of the few who can regrow it. He has a very unique bloodline from a supposed extinct race and an endangered one. I had many wolves with similar bloodlines several years ago, and they were quite resilient too. His mate, 033, has high levels of testosterone which makes him perfect fror my experiment. It helps that, according to his blood, he’s a pureblood from the far eastern tribes. Wolves from that area tend to be on the aggressive side.

            “035, is a pregnant omega with a remarkable bloodline, one very similar to 032’s own blood. He’ll make an excellent test subject once of course he’s popped out that child. I can’t wait to take samples from his offspring. 036, well he is a unique one. Took six tranquilizers to take him down and for good reason. He’s was experimented on before and if I’m correct it was the military group Blooddrainers. A crud group, but they had their own experiments and we have ours. Then there’s you. 034, a beta of mixed blood almost a mutt. You have had at least one miscarriage and lost a child to some sort of attack. I’m assuming another wolf.”

            When she finished her rant, Shinya was growling lowly, glaring at her. He moved to attack, but a soldier ran in to get between them. He raised his hand to strike Shinya.

“Do not hit him!” The woman ordered.

“Lori, this thing is dangerous.”

“Get out, he will not harm me.” She ordered and the soldier walked out. Lori kept her stern glare on Shinya as he stepped closer. “Now, now, you wouldn’t want to risk your child’s safety attacking me would you?”

“What?” Shinya gasped freezing.

The woman laughed. “I thought wolves knew when they were pregnant.” She said and Shinya rubbed his own stomach as he stepped back. “You can’t change, so therefore I have no need to have an electric collar on you. I don’t want to risk hurting your pup, but if I have to restrain you I will.”

“What do you plan on doing to me?” Shinya asked, his hand going over his stomach.

“Nothing right now. I want you to pop out that baby so I can experiment on it, then I’ll start on you. You’re the first beta I’ve ever gotten, so I plan on keeping you for a while. Just keep your pup healthy for me.”

“You will not harm my child!”

Lori started laughing. “Two seconds ago you didn’t even know you were pregnant. Suddenly you’re protective.”

Shinya continued to growl and the woman turned to leave with the door shutting behind her. Shinya rubbed his stomach as he watched the group leave then looked at Uruha who was doing the same. The beta turned away and sniffled.

“Kyo…”

~~~

            The pack was walking through the woods with the alphas leading the way when Kyo suddenly stopped and gripped his chest. Kaoru stopped next to him with the pack coming to a stop.

“Kyo?”

“Shinya.” Kyo whimpered. “He’s scared.”

“Well it’s good you can still sense him.” He said patting his friend’s back. The group continued forward and Ruki let out a growl as he pushed passed Toshiya. The shorter alpha bared his fangs before moving ahead. Toshiya looked over to Melody who was quietly laughing.

“How long do you think it’ll take for him to forgive me?” Toshiya asked.

“Well, just as long as Uruha and their pup are fine, he won’t hold a grudge.”

“And if they’re not okay?”

Melody smirked. “I’d start running. Never get in the way of a parent their pup.”

            The pack became silent as they approached the lab and they changed into wolves as they slipped through the trees. Toshiya and Kaoru moved ahead to scout the area as the others stayed back and waited. Kyo stood on a rock as a look out while sun dropped in the distance. As the night took over they waited and waited until they heard movement. Kyo let out a low growl, but the two grey wolves popped out of the bushes and the pack relaxed.

            Kyo was first to walk to the edge of the forest with his pack lined up along the trees. Kaoru and Toshiya reported seeing only ten guards around the lab and two or three inside. They were right. Kyo let out a low growl as he stepped out along with Melody and Byou. The soldiers who were just standing around were startled seeing the wolves coming out. They started shouting, but the rest of the pack came in from the sides taking down the men all at once. Two more came running out, but Kyo and Byou quickly took them down while Melody pinned her target down.

            Within minutes, they had the soldier tied up and the dead dragged off to the side. Ruki spat out blood as he growled at the remaining soldier. Melody ripped the helmet off to show a young female glaring at them.

“Where’s my pack?” Kyo asked glaring down at her.

She smirked. “You’ll have better luck talking to a rabbit.”

Melody slapped the woman, and Kyo stepped forward. “I don’t have Melody hitting because you’re a woman. It’s because this type of stuff is her specialty so I would start talking soon.”

Miyavi pushed the last body to the side and looked back, spotting another soldier sneaking out of the door. “Melody!”

The soldier raised as gun toward her as she turned and she growled out. Ruki was quick to change back into his wolf and run in. Melody jumped to the side as the soldier shot his gun, sending the bullet straight into his comrade’s head. Ruki jumped in the air tackling the soldier to the ground. The pack went in quickly pulling his weapons away and securing his arms. They ripped his helmet off as Melody pushed the dead woman to the side as they brought him to sit in her place.

“Congratulations.” Melody said with a smile. “I get to torture you now. Ruki help me drag him to the back would you?”

Ruki nodded and assisted the other alpha.

            Kyo stood before the remaining members. “Hitsugi, Miyavi, and Aoi, strip the clothes of the dead. The rest of you, gather what supplies remain and pack it up. We’ll be separating into two groups from here on out.”

“Kyo, what’s the plan exactly?” Kaoru asked as the pack moved to do their jobs.

“You, Ruki, Toshiya, and I will go to the lab. We’ll sneak in and get them out before their captures know it.”

“And how exactly are we going to do that?”

Kyo nodded to the pile of corpses currently being stripped. “We’re going to look like them.”

            Reita placed his head on the mattress as he stared at Kai who was keeping a close eye on the blonde. Not that he could do anything if something happened, but it made the omega feel better. Reita moved up to the glass and placed his hand on it looking at his mate. Kai moved to do the same when the group of scientists and guards came walking in front of them. The glass door to Reita’s cell opened and he tried to move back to get away, but his body felt weak. He couldn’t move that well and the soldiers picked him up off the ground. They dragged him to the metal table and forced him on it where they strapped him down. He tried to fight back, but was punched in the stomach.

            A soldier yanked Reita’s right arm and he cried out in pain, but they ignored him as they secured his body onto the table. Lori stepped up and started looking over his body once more.

“The amount of sedation seemed to have worked, but what about the enhancer? I can’t tell.” The male scientist asked.

“You won’t be able to. There’s only one way to find out, Max.” Lori said and turned to Kai’s cage. “Give 033 his injections. Seph will record.”

The soldiers went to Kai’s cage and Max unlocked the door as Kai stood growling. The moment the door slid opened he moved to attack them and it took all four soldiers to take him down, but he pushed back. Lori rolled her eyes and pulled out a little black oval-shaped plastic and press the button. Kai cried out in pain as he fell to the ground clawing at his neck.

“Kai!” Reita shouted.

            The soldiers grabbed Kai and slammed him into the wall, holding him steady. Lori released the button and Kai’s head dropped as he gasped for air.

“What did you do to him?” Reita snapped pulling weakly at his restraints.

“I just gave him a bit of a shock.” Lori said with a smile.

Max yanked Kai’s head back and using the same gun that was used on Reita. Except this one had a red liquid in it. Max injected the serum into Kai’s neck and they released the alpha before they exited the cage. Kai fell to the floor groaning as he clawed at his neck.

“Kai.” Reita whimpered and the alpha yelled out curling into a ball. Seph the other female scientist was writing on a clipboard as Kai growled out.

            He looked up glaring bloodshot eyes as drool dripped from his baring mouth. Kai jumped to his feet and charged forward, but Max was quick to shut the glass door and locked it. Kai punched the glass wall growling out although they couldn’t hear him. Lori smirked as Kai’s sharp claws scratched down the wall. Lori snapped her fingers and the soldiers ran out of the room, but were quick to return with metal poles. She pushed the button on the remote and Kai clawed at his neck but punched the glass again.

            Lori nodded and Max reopened the cage door as the soldiers got ready. Kai moved to attack, but the soldiers used the poles to clip onto his collar and push him back onto the wall. Kai yanked on the metal poles and the soldiers struggled to keep him pinned.

“What did you do to him?” Reita cried, but Lori only smiled.

“I’m going to take your restraints off and you’re going to go into his cage. If you don’t I’ll shoot you and your mate in the head. Is that clear?”

Reita growled and Lori slapped him. She pulled a walkie-talkie out of her coat pocket and called for more soldiers. Within seconds three more people came in and Lori had them restrain Reita as they took him off of the table. He whimpered out as he was thrown inside Kai’s cage. The soldiers were quick to retreat and close the door.

            Reita stood on shaky legs as Kai growled out glaring at the blonde with dilated pupils. Reita whimpered not able to feel his mate. “Kai?”

Kai moved in grabbing Reita’s neck and he slammed his mate into the wall. Reita whimpered out as he was lifted off the ground. Kai growled squeezing Reita’s neck and the omega began to cry. The alpha moved closer when a strong vanilla scent caught his attention and he slide Reita back down to scent him. He buried his face into Reita’s neck and let out a low growl. Reita gasped feeling his mate press against him and felt his body responding.

“Kai?” He whimpered out, but his mate was rubbing up against him growling. The blonde took a steady breath as he reached up to rub Kai’s cheek and the alpha flinch. Reita moved in and pressed a soft kiss on his lips.

            Kai squeezed Reita’s neck once more, but then he threw the blonde onto the mattress where he climbed over his omega. Reita pushed against his alpha’s chest, but Kai growled out at him. The brunette tore into Reita’s pants and ripped them up along the legs. Reita struggled against him, but was quickly turned over. Kai growled as he grinded his hips against his mate and Reita stopped struggling when he noticed the scientist watching and writing notes.

            Reita looked to his left where Shinya was banging on the wall next to them probably urging Kai to stop, but they couldn’t hear the beta. Reita growled as he elbowed Kai in the chest and turned over, but the alpha grabbed the blonde’s neck again. He slammed Reita back into the mattress as he choked him. Reita clawed at Kai’s arms and started crying as he whimpered out.

“K-Ka…” Reita choked. Kai’s eyes widen and his pupils shrunk a bit as he pulled away and fell off the bed. He quickly backed away up against the wall as Reita coughed catching his breath. Kai yelled out gripping his head before slamming it against the concrete wall.

“No!” Reita whimpered crawling off the bed. He scurried over to Kai before the alpha could slam his head again and wrapped his arms around Kai’s head.

“Get away from me, Reita.” Kai growled through clenched teeth. Reita looked into his watery bloodshot eyes.

            Before Reita could say anything, the glass door opened back up and Kai pushed him to the side to attack the intruders, but he was taken down by the large poles. He growled out at them. Reita glared as the scientists walked in. Max injected more of the red liquid into Kai’s body as they forced Reita on the floor. Lori injected Reita with more of the sedative then they released the two and exited before they were attacked. Kai spat as he punched the floor and growled out. He looked up glaring at Reita who was gasping against the bed.

“Kai?” Reita whimpered out as he reached out to rub the brunette’s cheek. Kai slapped Reita knocking him over. The blonde was dazed, but managed to see Lori smiling as Seph wrote notes down. Reita was turned back over and Kai gripped his neck again choking him. Reita grabbed at his mate’s wrists trying to breathe as he stared into Kai’s eyes. What was white was now red, making his dark eyes look even darker and his veins were popping out of his skin.

            Reita was feeling lightheaded, but he smiled as he reached up to gently rub his fingers against Kai’s cheek. He cupped Kai’s cheek and smiled. Kai gasped feeling his chest fill with warmth and his heart beat seemed to steady. Kai let go and he moved to pull away, but Reita reached up to pull him down. The blonde pressed his lips against Kai’s and kissed him deeply. Reita slowly pulled his lips away and kissed Kai’s cheek then licking his ear. Kai pulled away to stand up. He growled out as he charged at the glass door where the scientists were still observing.

            Reita watched as Kai clawed at the wall and punched at it. Blood smears started to appear on the glass and Reita saw it dripping from his mate’s hands. He couldn’t stand by while his alpha continued to hurt himself. Reita shook as he got to his feet and stumbled towards Kai to grab his hands. The alpha turned around growling out at the blonde. Reita reached down and gripped Kai’s erection making him growl louder as he bared his sharpening teeth.

“Don’t hurt yourself.” Reita whispered. “I’m here for you to use.”

Kai growled slamming Reita down onto his stomach and forced his hips in the air. The alpha ripped the remainder of Reita’s pants off. Kai pushed his own pants down and lined up his cock to Reita’s entrance. The blonde tried not shake, tried to calm his heart, and stop his tears from falling.

            Reita glared up at Lori who was glaring back, but it only satisfied him. He wasn’t going to let her win. Reita’s eyes squeezed shut and he screamed out feeling his mate penetrating his body. Warm tears rolled down his cheeks as Kai thrusted and he felt warm liquid rolling down his thighs. Reita looked up at Lori who was yelling out at the other two scientists before stomping off. Reita whimpered out, dropping his head as pain continued to fill his body.


	35. The Lab

            When Ryoga woke up he didn’t realize what was going on. His head was groggy, his vision was blurry, and his chest hurt. He groaned sitting up before rolling over onto the floor with a thud. He sat up only to see two blurry Shinyas walking back and forth. Ryoga gripped the mattress as he worked on getting to his feet, but when he did he stumbled back until his back slammed into wall. The alpha rubbed his head as he blinked his eyes until his vision finally cleared up.

            Shinya noticed the movement in Ryoga’s cage and spotted the blonde getting up. Shinya walked to the glass wall as he watched Ryoga struggle to his feet and looked up right at him. Ryoga’s eyes widen when he realized what was happening, what had happened. He instantly reached up and to grab the collar around his neck. Ryoga growled and stomped up to the glass wall where he started punching at it.

            Uruha was sitting on his bed watching as Ryoga punched, kicked, head-butted, and body slammed the glass until he bounced off and fell to the ground. Uruha smiled sadly as Ryoga got back to his feet and looked over. The alpha started looking at the bed, throwing the mattress off the metal frame. Ryoga began tugging at the bound frame trying to figure a way to pull it apart. Uruha sighed as he leaned his head on the wall with his eyes falling on Shinya as the beta continued to pace around.

            Reita groaned as he slowly awoke. He moved slowly to look around to find Kai wasn’t with him on the bed and saw Shinya walking around in the next cage. Reita forced his sore body to turn the other way and he found Kai in the corner curled up into a ball. His mate was rocking back and forth, crying. Reita used all of his strength to get off the bed only fall flat on his face. He whimpered, but used his arms to pull himself forward across the ground. Reita was soon at Kai’s side and touched his back making him flinch.

            Kai pulled away as he turned showing his red face, tears covering his cheeks, and snot coming out of his nose. His eyes were more normal but still bloodshot. Kai whimpered as he backed up a little, but Reita reached to grab his shirt making him freeze.

“I’m…so sorry…” Kai whimpered out.

Reita hushed him and moved to sit up even though it was painful for him to do so. He placed both his hands on Kai’s wet warm cheeks. That’s when he noticed a stream of blood along his hair line. “You hurt yourself.”

“I did this to you…didn’t I?” Kai cried. “I don’t remember, but before you were fine then I woke up and you were…you were…”

“Look at me.” Reita whispered and his mate finally looked him in the eye. The blonde leaned in placing a kiss on his lips. “Hold me.”

Kai wrapped his shaky arms around Reita’s body and pulled him. Reita dropped his head on Kai’s shoulder as he felt his mate’s warmth fill his chest. He was relieved to feel his alpha again.

~~~

            Kyo tugged at the black pants he was wearing as he made them more comfortable before slipping on the heavy black jacket. He heard Kaoru making a crud remark about the soldiers’ clothing as they continued getting dressed. Ruki groaned about getting another outfit too big and threw it to the side to go through the rest of the pile. Once Kyo was fully dressed he grabbed his helmet and walked to the door.

“Hurry up.” He ordered walking out of the room. He stomped out of to the main area where Byou and Shou had packed up the most important supplies in enough bags that each pack member could carried one. Melody walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you sure about this?” She asked. The door to the side opened up again so Kaoru, Ruki, and Toshiya could step out in their new attire. Kyo stood tall as his pack looked to him.

“Those bastards have our family, I won’t risk more lives than necessary. Melody will take charge in my absence and will take the pack west to Green River. There you will wait, but if we don’t meet you in twenty-four hours, you will continue on to an available city.”

“Kyo, please don’t say that.” Melody sighed, but her pack leader waved his hand.

“We will get our family back. Or we’ll die trying.” Kyo said loudly. “You will leave at first light. Get what rest you can.”

The pack said their farewells and the four alphas left the lab. Kaoru grabbed the bruised and bloody solider tied up and gagged. He tossed the man over his shoulder and the four began walking in the direction of the lab.

~~~

            Reita was dozing off to sleep in Kai’s warm arms when the door to the cell opened up. They both looked over to see Lori and soldiers coming in and Kai squeezed Reita in his arms as he scooted back. The soldiers were quick to grab Reita and pull him away before more came into press Kai against the wall. Reita was dragged out and laid on the metal table as Max walked into the cell. He pulled out the gun with a red vial and moved towards Kai as the alpha struggled to get away.

“Kai.” Reita whimpered watching as the scientist injected his mate with the same serum as before. Reita was restrained to the table as Lori walked up holding an injection gun of her own with a clear liquid. The omega whimpered as he struggled, but two soldiers hold his torso and stomach down. Lori smirked as she lined a needle up against Reita’s neck.

“What are you doing to us?”

Lori just smiled as she stabbed the needle into Reita’s skin making him whimpered as she injected the foreign substance. “Throw him back in 033’s cell.”

            Reita was tossed inside as the soldiers left the glass cell and he looked up to see Kai on his hands and knees growling. Reita whimpered as he crawled closer to his mate and rubbed his back. Kai glared at Reita with reddening eyes before groaning. The brunette grabbed Reita’s neck and slammed him to the ground. Kai climbed on top of him and leaned down to bury his nose into the omega’s neck. Reita closed his eyes wrapping his arms around Kai’s neck.

            Lori closed the cell before walking down to Ryoga and waved her hands. Soldiers lined up as she swiped a card through the keypad. As the door opened she pressed the button to activate the electric collar, but Ryoga just growled only flinching a little from the electric shock. The blonde charged forward as the soldiers moved in to tackle him. Ryoga threw the first soldier over his shoulder while kicking another in the stomach. The alpha punched another soldier in the face, but then his eyes widen when he felt a familiar feeling in his chest and he looked at one of the guards who was standing by Lori’s side. During his moment of distraction he was tackled and held down by multiple soldiers.

            The scientist smiled as she handed a syringe off to Seph who injected it into Ryoga’s body. The blonde growled out, but slowly became limp. The soldiers dragged him out as Lori looked over at Shinya who was glaring at her. She walked to his cell and swiped her card letting the door open. Shinya covered his stomach as he moved back. He eyes watched as Ryoga was dragged down to a pair of doors where they vanished.

“What did you do to him?” Shinya asked with a shaky voice.

“036 was sedated although we had to use a sedation strong enough for an elephant to take him down though.”

“Kai and Reita, what experiment are you doing to them?” Shinya asked looking over at the two in the other cell mating on the bed. Reita looked with tears in his eyes as he clenched the sheets, but then dropped his head as Kai continued to mount him.

            Lori laughed bringing Shinya’s attention back to her. “Those two? Well the first one was a failure. I wanted to see if an alpha could kill his own omega even if the omega had the pheromones of being in heat. 032 ended up seducing 033 instead.”

“What did you give Kai?”

“033? It’s a drug I made. Increases the testosterone of an alpha while also driving out their animalistic instincts. Basically, I pulled out his inner wolf with full blown aggression, however, instead of killing, 033’s omega has caused his mating instincts to take over.”

“And Reita?” Shinya whimpered.

“Increased his pheromones, but I also gave him something that counteracts his breeding instincts.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning 032 is getting absolutely no pleasure in any of this. The last drug I gave him will hopefully keep his pheromones going strong and maybe just maybe…”

“What?”

Lori smiled. “Well we’ll just have to see. Good little chat, but I have to start working on my next experiment.”

Shinya looked over at Kai going harder, then back to Lori who was about to close the door. “Does Kai know what he’s doing?”

            Lori only smirked as she shut the glass door and walked away. Shinya turned to look at the mates once more. Kai pulled out only to flip Reita over and he spread the blonde’s legs to reenter. Reita’s back arched as his eyes widen, his mouth opened into a silent scream, but Shinya had no doubt it was ear piercing in that room. Kai turned his head, glaring his blood red eyes at Shinya before baring his fangs. Reita reached up to make him turn his head back and Kai started his motions again.

~~~~

            Kyo stopped in his tracks and looked to Kaoru who dropped the man he was carrying. He pulled the gag out of his mouth and smacked his head.

“Okay, now where do we walk?”

The man groaned, but Kaoru growled making him flinch. “Okay, okay. If you followed my directions, then we’re forty paces from the tree line. Beyond that is the lab.”

Kaoru shoved the cloth back into the soldier’s mouth then threw the man over his shoulder. They walked forward following the man’s directions and soon enough they were at the tree line. Kyo peeked through and his eyes widen at the sight of a building twice the size of the lab they were staying in.

            Kyo slipped back into the shrubs he glared down at the soldier. He grabbed the man’s head and twisted it, making it snap. The man fell off to the side and the alphas didn’t say anything as Kyo turned away. He took his helmet from Toshiya and placed it over his face as the alphas did the same. They walked forward with their shoulders square and heads up. They walked past the patrolling guards and up to the main guard to find a keypad along with a card reader. Kyo grabbed the card that was in the chest pocket and swiped it. The doors clicked and Kaoru opened it up for them to enter.

            They walked into the entrance where two men were leaning against the wall chatting. They waved at the pack members so they waved back as they walked through the hallways. Kyo and Kaoru were at the front with Toshiya and Ruki following close behind. Walking down they noticed the many hallways, stairs and locked doors, but Kyo could feel Shinya nearby. Ruki rubbed his chest feeling his mate close. Kyo looked around taking in the names on the door plates and keypads.

            The walls were a bluish white, some rooms had windows while others did not. The rooms they could see into varied from computer rooms, to some that were labs that tested blood while another tested on rabbits and other small animals. As they passed one room, they noticed it was another lab large empty cages, except one that had a large dark grey wolf laying inside. It was staring at them through the window and Kyo froze. He grabbed his key card to swipe the lock, but the keypad buzzed instead of clicked and the door remained locked.

“What are you doing?” A man in a white coat asked.

“I wanted to see the wolf.” Kyo stated and the man rolled his eyes.

“I honestly don’t know why you soldiers feel the need to pester my experiment so much. Don’t you see enough those damn things in the woods when they’re trying to kill you? Leave my wolf alone.”

Ruki had to bite his tongue to not growl at the statement. Kyo walked passed the man with his alphas following close behind and the scientist scowled at them.

            Kyo moved ahead not stopping as he found himself down a hallway with stairs ahead with the determination of walking down them. As they got closer a group of soldiers walked up the stairs and Kyo stopped walking. The four alphas heard more footsteps coming up behind them. He slowly turned to the group of soldiers blocking them off. Then turned back when they heard another person walking up the stairs and female scientist appeared.

            Lori smiled as she walked in front of them. “Not every day wolves come to me.”

“What are you talking about?” Kyo snapped. “We’re not wolves.”

“You’re a terrible liar. The soldiers whom you stole those clothes from were already reported dead. You’re also wearing mismatching uniforms. The jacket numbers are different from the numbers listed on your pants. Either you didn’t noticed, or you hoped we wouldn’t. Soldiers also know what rooms they have access to and which they don’t, trying to get into a lab is what really gave you away.”

Kyo growled as he pulled off his helmet along with the other three. “I will kill you if you’ve harmed my pack.”

Lori laughed a little. “Would you like to see them?” Kyo growled deeply. “I’ll let you, if you put these on.” She said pulling out a metal collar.

Ruki growled out stepping forward. “I’ll kill you before you put that thing on me.”

“Well, I tried the easy way, so now comes the hard way. If you resist, I’ll kill the wolves I have, but not before I torture them some more. I’ll make sure to keep the pregnant ones alive long enough to pull their pups out before experimenting on them as well. So what will it be?”

~~~~

            Shinya kept his pacing as he thought how to handle the scientist when she entered his cell again. She had just came through moments ago, dropping Ryoga back into his cage motionless. Shinya watched as they left, then went back to pacing. He didn’t have a collar so he couldn’t be electrocuted, but he couldn’t change either. Shinya thought he might be able to punch her and grab her key, maybe lock her inside too. He kept thinking of how he could try when he saw the door opened up and Lori walking in. Behind her were the usual soldiers, but then he gasped and ran to the glass door when he spotted his mate.

            Kyo, Ruki, Kaoru, and Toshiya were pushed in wearing collars and their hands shackled behind their backs. Kyo’s eyes widen when he spotted Shinya and he pulled from the soldiers hold.

“Let them.” Lori ordered and Ruki ran to Uruha’s cell as Kyo went to Shinya’s. The beta placed his head on the glass as Kyo did the same. Shinya smiled as he stepped back and rubbed his belly. Kyo stared for a moment his eyes widen and he smiled with teary eyes.

“Uru.” Ruki whimpered as his mate walked up to the glass wall.

Lori looked at Kaoru and Toshiya who were glaring back at her. She smiled and nodded so her men could pull the two alphas away. “I have learned more about you now than what I would drawing blood. The question is how I do I separate you. I have eight total wolves and only one containment left.”

“032 isn’t using his containment anymore.” Seph said. The alphas slowly turned their heads over where they were looking and were shocked. Reita was on his hands and knees taking it from behind from Kai. The brunette was glaring at them were red eyes.

“What the hell did you to them?” Kyo growled.

Lori hummed with a smile. “Max, take notes. I think I’ll show…037 what it is I’ve done.”

            With a flick of a wrist, the soldiers dragged Kyo to the cell where Seph opened up the door. They threw Kyo inside and closed the door. The pack leader began to sit up when he heard growling nearby and looked up to see Kai pushing Reita down on the mattress before climbing off. Kai bared his teeth as Kyo slowly stood up. He looked down at Reita, worn and hurt, yet he was reaching to stop his mate.

“Kai, calm down, I’m not going to do anything.” Kyo said, but Kai snapped. He tackled Kyo to the ground and grabbed the leader’s neck. Kai started banging his pack leader’s head into the ground ignoring Reita’s pleas for him to stop. Shinya was on his bed banging at the wall yelling his lungs out as he watched Kai beat his mate.

            The three alphas outside moved to pull from the soldiers, but only Toshiya managed to free himself. He body slammed Lori to the ground and bashed his head against hers making her cry out, but two soldiers pried him off. Lori got back to her feet and slapped him across the face. Reita forced his body to move, rolling off the bed and onto the floor. He didn’t wait for the pain to end before he started crawling with all his strength.

            Kyo growled at Kai and kicked at him, but the alpha was not letting go. Reita grabbed Kai’s arm and the brunette growled at him, but Reita was gentle. He rubbed Kai’s cheeks forced him to turn his head. The blonde pressed a kiss on his mate’s lips, reaching down to pull Kai’s hands from Kyo’s neck. Kai growled as he grabbed Reita’s neck and stood up to toss him onto the bed. Kai growled at Kyo as he crawled over Reita’s body.

            The door slid open and Kyo looked at the soldiers. Lori smiled as she spoke. “I’d come out if I were you.”

Kyo didn’t wait to get to his feet and run out of the cell. He glared as the door slid shut and Kai forced Reita back onto his knees. Kyo growled at Lori. “What have you done to him?”

“Place 037 in with the 034. 038 in containment one.” She said pointing at Kaoru, then pointed at Ruki. “039 will go in six.”

“And the last one?” Seph asked.

“Take 040 to lab two. He seems pretty lively, so I bet he’ll be good for Max’s and my experiment. Restrain him on the table and you can start on him in the morning.”

Toshiya smirked. “I assume this is payback for knocking you down?”

“Gag him while you’re at it.” Lori ordered.

Seph nodded and pointed at some soldiers. “You two, bring him.”

The two soldiers grabbed Toshiya’s arms and started pulling him past the glass cells to the doors on the opposite side. Kyo and Kaoru pulled at their restraints as Toshiya struggled in the soldiers’ holds, but he was pulled through the doors.

“We’re retiring for the night. You’re dismissed once you put the specimens in their containments.” Lori ordered.

            Kyo’s hands were released before he was tossed into the glass cell with Shinya. He landed hard on the floor, but his mate was soon at his side. The door slid shut, but they ignored it and embraced each other. Shinya whimpered in Kyo’s arms, but he pulled away with tears running down his cheeks. Shinya laughed as he placed the alpha’s hand onto his stomach. Kyo laughed a little.

“Really?” Kyo asked and Shinya nodded.

            Ruki was pushed into the cell by Uruha and he was quick to go to the glass wall where Uruha met him. They placed their palms on the glass as they pressed their foreheads on it as well. Uruha started crying as Ruki whimpered. They were so close yet they couldn’t touch, but they could feel each other. All Ruki wanted to do was hug his mate and rub his belly while whispering stories to his unborn child.

~~~

            Toshiya pulled at the soldier’s hands, trying to break free as they walked down a brightly lit hallway as doors started to appear. The first one had a number ‘1’ printed on the metal below the small square window. The next one had a number ‘2’ printed on it. Toshiya groaned as he dug his heels into the floor, but his feet only slid.

“I thought Kyo was smart.” The soldier to Toshiya’s right spoke and he froze. Toshiya eyes widen as he looked at the soldier whose face was hidden by his helmet, but he knew that voice.

“Die?”

“What are you doing?” Seph asked turning around. Die let Toshiya go and reached out to grab Seph’s head. With one quick motion he twisted her neck, snapping it. Toshiya pulled from the second soldier, but he removed his helmet and smiled.

“Tsuzuku? How the hell did you two get in here?” Toshiya asked.

Tsuzuku laughed pulling a key out of his pocket. “We did the same thing you guys did.”

“Except we were smarter about it.” Die said patting down Seph’s body. He pulled out a card from her lab coat and stood up. “Now we have to work faster than planned to get you guys out.”

“Uh-huh, what exactly do you have planned?”

“Well we were going to sneak them out tomorrow night. Lori had some military guys coming in to check out one of her experiments on the upper floors. The guards would have been thinned out down here. Now we have to get you out before sunrise.”

“Why not let her experiment on me? I can survive a day if it’s safer for the omegas to get out.”

Die looked Toshiya in the eye. “I read the file that’s in that room. The experiment she wants to do… I can’t let that happen to you.”

Once Toshiya’s shackles and collar was off he stepped forward. He pulled Die in to a hug and kissed him on the lips. Tsuzuku smirked before keeping an eye out as the two took in the moment.

Die slowly pulled away. “We have to hurry.”

Toshiya nodded, “What’s the plan?”

~~~

            Kyo sat on the mattress with his head in his hands as Shinya sat at his side. The beta rubbed his shoulders and he sat up to smile at his mate. Kyo tried to smile back he couldn’t get his lips to curl up.

“I’m sorry.” Kyo whispered. “I wanted to save you, but I failed you, again.”

“You haven’t failed.” Shinya said. “You’re alive, I’m alive, and I have your pup in my belly. There is still a chance you can get us out.”

~~~

            Toshiya slipped on the black outfit as Die hid the dead body of the soldier. He pulled the helmet over his head and Die took the lead with Tsuzuku behind them. They walked through the doors and Toshiya moved to the far end as Tsuzuku stayed there. Die walked straight to Kyo and Shinya’s cell and swiped the card to unlock it. Kyo stood pulling Shinya behind him as he growled at the soldier entering.

“Get those restraints off. Quickly now.” Die said tossing a key to Kyo who caught it with one hand. Shinya took the key and started to get the collar off as Die swiped the card on Kaoru’s door, then on Ryoga’s cell. Kyo stepped out of the cell with Shinya in tow as Kaoru stepped out as well. Shinya moved to take his restraints off as Kyo let a low growl out.

“Kyo, it’s okay.” Toshiya spoke raising his helmet. “It’s Tsuzuku and Die.”

            Soon all the cells except Kai’s were opened up, and their restraints were removed. Ryoga groaned leaning on the medical table for support as Die walked up to the last cell. He nodded to Toshiya who pulled out a gun from its holster on his thigh as he walked up beside the red and black haired wolf.

“What are you doing?” Kaoru asked, but the two ignored him. Die swiped the card and the door opened up so Toshiya could step inside. Kai growled out at him and jumped up to attack. Toshiya shot two tranquilizers into the brunette’s chest startling him, but he moved to strike. Toshiya’s eyes grew and he ran out with Kai chasing him.

“Die!”

“It’ll kick in a few seconds, just hang on.” Die laughed as he walked into the cell. Reita whimpered and tried to back up. Die raised his hands and slowly removed his helmet. “It’s me, Die, I won’t hurt you.”

            Reita continued to shake as the alpha stepped forward. They both jumped hearing grunting from outside. Kaoru and Kyo were trying to pry Kai off of Toshiya. Die turned back to Reita.

“I’m going to help get you out.”

“Don’t touch me!” Reita snapped.

Die sighed as he knelt down. “Do you remember when Nao tried to have me rape you? Of course you do. I was never going to do that to you though. I would never do that to anyone, do you want to know why?” Die gave Reita a moment to respond, but when he didn’t the alpha continued. “I would never do that because I know that pain. That woman, Lori, she caused me a great deal of pain and one of those things she did was have me raped just to see if I could live through it. Three soldiers had their way with me. Those were the first three men I killed when I escaped.”

Reita whimpered. “But you didn’t kill her?”

“She wasn’t there at the time. Come on.” Die waved his hands and moved to gently pick Reita up in his arms.

            Die stepped out and Kai growled out ready to attack them again. As he took a step he began blinking and he stumbled to the side. Within seconds he dropped to the floor and Reita called out his name trying to break from Die’s hold.

“Calm down, he’s only sedated.” Die said.

“Yeah, what the hell? You said it’ll knock him right out.” Toshiya snapped standing up.

“I told you it would take a few seconds.”

“Then I should have shot him again.”

“Then you would have killed him.” Die snapped. “Now secure him so we can get out of here.”

            Toshiya was quick to pull Kai’s hands behind his back to hook the shackles together. While he did that, Tsuzuku ran up to Ryoga to let his alpha lean on him as they walked.

Uruha grabbed Ruki’s hand and spoke. “I was so scared.”

“I wasn’t going to let them hurt you without a fight.” Ruki said. “I would kill everyone here if it meant you and our pup lived.”

Suddenly an alarm started to go off and the wolves looked to one another. Die growled. “Shit. They know.”

“What do we do?” Uruha whimpered.

“I have an idea.” Die said.

~~~~

            Lori stormed down the stairs along with the guards and swiped her keycard to unlock the doors. The doors opened up and she stepped inside with the soldiers looking around into the empty containment cells. Lori glared as she stomped to the doors at the other end and went to push them open, but they swung inward. She gasped as Die grabbed her and twisted her so he was holding her back against his chest. He placed a gun to her temple, glaring at the soldiers pulling their guns out.

“One more move and I’ll blow her brains out.” Die said and the soldiers froze.

Lori rolled her eyes. “How far do you think you’ll get? Once you step outside a sniper will get you and free me.”

“Let him try. Do you remember me, Lori?”

“Can’t see your face so how should I know?” Lori retorted.

“Andou Daisuke. Your favorite little toy.” Die whispered.

Lori smirked. “Ah yes, I remember. I never did finish my last experiment on you.”

The soldiers started moving in, but froze when Die shouted at them. “Don’t move or else she dies. Now, drop your guns.” Die ordered and the soldiers waited for Lori to nod, which she did, and the laid their weapons down. “Into the cells.”

            The soldiers slowly moved into each of the containments until they were all inside. Die stepped forward to give room for Kyo and his pack to step out. Kyo took the lead with Shinya in tow, Toshiya was carrying Kai on his shoulders with Uruha following behind him with Ruki, Tsuzuku who was helping Ryoga limp along, and behind them Kaoru was carrying Reita. Kyo and Shinya were quick to shut all the doors, sealing the soldiers inside. Die nodded to Shinya who grabbed some of the shackles hidden under the metal table, but Kyo took them from him and grabbed a collar.

            Kyo smirked as he wrapped the collar around Lori’s neck, then Die gave him enough room to lock her hands behind her back. Die pushed her forward, but Shinya stood in front of them.

“Wait.” Shinya said as he moved closer to reach his hand into her coat pocket, then the other to pull out the little remote. “Do something I don’t like, I dare you.”

“Let’s move while their numbers are scattered.” Die said pushing Lori forward a gun to the back of her head. Kyo lead the way though, opening the doors for them and moving forward. They could hear soldiers getting closer and Die gripped the scientist’s hair. A group of soldiers piled into the hall as the wolves climbed the stairs. They stared at each other waiting.

“Let her go.” A soldier ordered.

“I don’t like that.” Shinya said and pushed the button on the remote. Lori screamed out and the only reason she didn’t fall was because Die was holding her up by her hair.

“Stop hurting her!” Max shouted as he pushed through the group of soldiers.

“Stop hurting her?” Die asked. “All she ever did was hurt me. You weren’t around when she decided to have me raped, or when I was still an omega, or when she tortured me as she changed my body to that of an alpha, or when she decided to see if a bunch of other experiments would kill me or make me stronger. She doesn’t know pain.”

“Let her go.” Max ordered.

“Speak again and I’ll push the button, but this time I won’t let go.” Shinya snapped.

“Move aside or a bullet goes through her skull.” Die ordered.

            The soldiers slowly moved aside and the pack surrounded Die with Kyo and the front and Toshiya at the back. They moved together through the group slowly watching for movement or anything alarming. They made their way past and continued down the hallway using the same tactic when they encountered more soldiers. They kept moving until they reached the front doors, but Die stopped walking.

“What?” Toshiya asked him.

“Go ahead.”

“What?” The alpha gasped. “Die, what are you doing?”

“If we all leave they’ll just come after us.” Die said. “But if I stay, Lori will take more interest in me than hunting you. I left before she could finish some experiments, so she’ll probably want me more than you.”

“You’re not staying here.” Toshiya said. “You can’t, I won’t let you.”

“Let him stay, I still need to find out if I can get an alpha pregnant.” Lori laughed. Shinya glared at her and pressed the remote electrocuting her. She screamed out falling to the floor and soldiers started running towards them. Die quickly picked her up and placed the barrel to her head making the soldiers stop in their tracks.

            “You’re coming with us.” Kyo ordered. “If you don’t Toshiya will get a severe case of blue balls and will forever blame me for it.”

“Kyo!” Shinya shouted trying not to laugh.

“I…”

“Belong with my pack.” Kyo stated. “We’ll discuss everything once we’re away from here. Now can we get moving?”

Die nodded pushing Lori forward as she cried out in pain. They went through the main doors and Kyo and Kaoru grabbed some heavy branches to block off the doors to at least give them some time to run. Lori was spitting out blood as she collapsed down to the ground.

“How shall we run?” Kaoru asked Kyo.

Kyo looked to Reita seeing him barely able to hold his eyes open. “Will you be able to hang on to Kaoru’s back?”

“I can try.”

Kyo hummed and started taking his clothes off. “No point. Kaoru, put these on him. We’ll use your clothes to secure him to your body.”

            Toshiya walked up to Die and patted his back. He looked at Kaoru as he dressed Reita up and changed into a wolf. Kyo helped Reita onto the grey wolf’s body and tore a black jacket to make it longer. Reita shook sitting up, but Kyo had him lay on his stomach and wrapped the jacket around his and Kaoru’s bodies tying them together.

“Try to keep your legs up, okay?” Kyo whispered and Reita nodded. He looked over to them. “We need to leave, now.”

“Right, let’s go.” Die said and glared down at Lori. “You won’t be experimenting anymore.”

Die raised his gun to her head and a loud gunshot echoed through the air. He tossed the gun to the side and looked at the pack. Kyo nodded his head to the side as they all changed into wolves. Ryoga groaned but managed to change in his tan wolf as Shinya and Uruha climbed on their mates’ backs. Die placed Kai on Toshiya’s back in the same fashion as Reita on Kaoru then changed himself. Toshiya licked Die’s snout before they took off into the woods as the sun began to rise.


	36. Rest

            Reita groaned feeling his body bounce up and down as sun the shined through the growing leaves in the trees. He felt his legs fall and feet drag against the dirt. Kaoru stopped moving turning his head to sniff, then barked at Kyo, making the pack stop moving. Shinya got off Kyo and ran over to check on Reita.

“How much longer do we have to travel like this?”

Kyo changed back into his human form. “We need to be able to run fast and at a short notice. We don’t know if they’re following us and we can’t risk a surprise attack.”

“Reita needs to rest.” Shinya said. “Uruha and I both need to as well.”

“Rest sounds nice.” Ryoga mumbled sitting up against a tree in his human form and Tsuzuku sat by his side.

Kyo nodded. “Kaoru, Toshiya, Ruki, and I will keep watch then.”

Toshiya shook Kai from his back before changing to help Shinya get Reita off and lay him gently on the ground. Reita whimpered out before rolling his side. He reached out and whispered out Kai’s name. The two looked at one another before rubbing the blonde’s back.

“Maybe you should lay alone.” Toshiya suggested.

“I want to lay with my mate!” Reita growled before whimpering out. Toshiya nodded and proceeded to gather the unconscious alpha in his arms. He carried Kai over to Reita and laid him down next to the omega. Reita cuddled up against his mate’s body and burying his face into Kai’s neck.

“Oh, Rei, what did they do to the two of you?” Toshiya whispered.

“I’m sorry.” Die whispered. “If I never—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence.” Toshiya snapped. “This is not your fault. You didn’t do this to them.”

“I know, but—” Die stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Kyo glaring at him. The pack leader walked up to him and stared him in the eyes for a moment.

“Die, stop.” Kyo spoke gently. “You’ve gone through enough. You don’t have to take the blame for something that’s out of your control. Now sit down and take a break.”

Die quietly followed the order plopping down where he stood, earning a smile from Toshiya and Shinya. The heard a small groan from Ryoga just before he leaned over to puke.

“Ryoga!” Tsuzuku whimpered out, but the alpha waved his hand.

“I’m okay. Just sick from the drugs they gave me. I’ll be better in a few hours, don’t worry.” Ryoga reassured Tsuzuku, grabbing his hand. Tsuzuku dropped his head onto his alpha’s chest.

“I was worried you know.” The omega whimpered. “You went and protected me, but you got hurt in the process. I wish you were more careful. What if you had been killed?”

Ryoga growled. “I should be saying that to you. What were you thinking breaking in like that? You endangered your own life, for what? Me?”

“Yes!” Tsuzuku snapped. “You’re my mate! I’m not some little weak pup that can’t defend himself. Ryoga I’m a wolf and that means I have to help protect my pack. That includes you. Just because you’re the alpha doesn’t mean you’re the one who always has to put himself in danger. We protect each other, you and me both.”

Ryoga closed his eyes, squeezing Tsuzuku’s hand. He spoke softly. “I know. But it’s my job to keep you safe.”

“And it’s mine to keep you safe too. You have to start realizing this.”

Ryoga nodded. “Okay, okay you win…this time.”

“Oh! I’ll show you a win.” Tsuzuku laughed tackling his mate onto his back. Ryoga let out a soft laugh and rubbed Tsuzuku’s cheek.

“How did you guys even manage to break in?” He asked with a hum. Tsuzuku sat up and looked over at Die who shrugged his shoulder with a smile.

“Well, Die did most of the work to be honest.” Tsuzuku said.

~~~Tsuzuku and Die~~~

            Tsuzuku glared at Die’s back as they walked through the forest in silence. He had been following the Alpha now for an hour in the darkness. Tsuzuku didn’t regret leaving his pack to find Ryoga. His alpha risked his life to save the omega and Tsuzuku was going to do everything possible to save his mate in return. He wasn’t going to be to helpless pup anymore.

            Die suddenly stopped and sniffed the air before walking towards the right.

“Are you sure you know where this place is?” Tsuzuku whispered.

“No.” Die answered. “I told you I only had an idea of its location.”

“Why is that?”

“I’ve never been there before.”

“Then how do you even know about it?” The omega asked as he stopped walking.

Die sighed and stopped walking. “I was supposed to be transported there before I escaped. I heard them talking about it often so I was able to figure out the general location it was based on the old lab. I used that info to avoid the area. Who would have guessed I’m using it this time to get to it.”

Tsuzuku felt a pain in his chest when he saw Die’s smile and sad eyes. “What happened to you?”

“Terrible things.” Die whispered. “Nobody should ever go through what I did. Especially your pack. I won’t let them hurt the people I care for again.”

“Die…”

“Let’s go. The sooner we find them the better.” Die spoke and turned away to walk again.

            They moved quietly through the trees as they spotted soldiers walking around the area. The two wolves were on high alert as they sneaked passed groups of soldiers, which were increasing. Die knew this meant they were getting closer, but it also meant a higher chance of getting caught. They needed to do something.

            Die began to backtrack a bit, confusing Tsuzuku, but he followed the alpha’s lead. They walked around a few soldiers until they came up to two walking around. The soldiers were more interested in their conversation than actually looking out for anything, which made the wolves’ next move easy. Die and Tsuzuku sneaked up behind them and tackled them to the ground. Before either could called for help, the wolves broke their necks and dragged their bodies into the bushes.

            “I can’t believe that actually worked.” Tsuzuku whispered pulling the pants off one of the soldiers and looking at them, “I don’t think these will fit me.”

“You have to make them fit.” Die said as he was undressing his soldier. “Hurry up, we have to hide these guys before anybody notices.”

Tsuzuku nodded and proceeded to undress the man down to his under wear then hid his body between a bush and a tree. Die did the same before the two quickly slipped into the guard outfits, placed the helmets on their heads, and grabbed the guns the men were carrying.

“I have no idea how to use this.” Tsuzuku whispered.

“If we’re lucky you won’t have to.” Die said. “Just hold it in your arms for now. You have to own it so just act like you know what you’re doing.”

“Easier said than done.” The omega mumbled.

Die let out a snort. “Pretty easy to do. I tricked these assholes the same way when I escaped. Come on, just follow my lead and we’ll be fine.”

“Right.”

            The two made their way around the area a couple of times realizing they had gone in circles before Die finally changed his direction a bit and before they knew it, they were staring at the new lab. Tsuzuku swallowed hard as he followed Die up to the doors and Die pulled credentials out of his chest pocket and swiped the card into the door lock. It opened up so they walked quickly inside the whited out hallway. They immediately spotted guards walking in all directions, but the two kept on going forward.

            They explored each hallway and room, at least the ones they had access to, and Die was memorizing the layout. Tsuzuku was sniffing around trying to catch a whiff of his mate, but with no luck.

“This is going to take forever.” Tsuzuku let out a low growl.

“Stay calm.” Die ordered. “We can’t give these guys a chance to catch us. We’ll find your pack, we just have to move slowly, carefully. One mistake and we’ll be in cages.”

Tsuzuku glared, but nodded. It wasn’t like Die could see his expression anyways. Die lead the way once more down the next hall.

            “Hey you two!” The wolves froze, but Die was quick to turn to see a female scientist with short hair standing in a doorway. She waved her hand for them to walk over. “I need you to lift something for me.”

They followed her in to a white room full of empty kennels except for one. Inside was large dark grey wolf laying on its side slowly breathing. Die felt and pain in his chest at the sight of the familiar beast. He had to bite his tongue though.

“I need you two move this wolf into this kennel here.” She said tapping one that was on the right wall by her desk. Die nodded his head and placed his gun down, so Tsuzuku followed, but before they had a chance to open the kennel the main door opened up by a male scientist.

“Seph, Lori needs us downstairs. She wants to get started on the new wolves.” He said making Tsuzuku and Die’s ears perk up.

“Coming, Max.” She sighed. “You two, get this wolf moved then exit this room. That’s an order.”

“Yes ma’am.” Die spoke on instinct and Tsuzuku flustered trying to say something, but the two scientists left the room before he could.

            He took a deep breath as Die took his helmet off making Tsuzuku snap. “What are you doing?”

“Yuca? Is that you?” Die whispered. The grey wolf’s ears perked and its eyes opened showing all white irises.

“Daisuke?” The wolf’s voice was rough. “Is that little Daisuke I hear?”

“Yeah it’s me.”

“Oh, what are you doing here?”

“We’re trying to save the wolves these guys took. Tsuzuku here had his mate taken.”

“Oh you poor thing.” Yuca spoke. “Poor, poor, things all of us are.”

“Yuca, we’ll get you out too.” Die said opening the cage.

“No, you mustn’t do that. They’ll go on lockdown and you won’t be able to get your friends then.”

“But—”

Yuca let out a soft laugh. “I’m done, Daisuke. I can’t see nor have the strength to walk. My days are up, but you have many ahead of you still. Many with your friends and your pack. Leave this withered wolf be and save your pack.”

“Yuca, I can’t leave you like this.” Die whispered. “If I had known you didn’t make out with the rest of us I would have a came back for you.”

“I know you would have.” She whispered. “You don’t have much time now. Get me to the kennel and get out before you bring unwanted attention yourselves.”

Die nodded. He and Tsuzuku worked together to carefully pull the limp wolf out of the cage and placed her into the second one. Die placed his hand on her neck and petted her.

“I’m sorry, Yuca.”

She closed her eyes. “I’m so happy you’re alive. Please, keep on living.”

“I will.” He whispered.

            Die slipped his helmet on as Tsuzuku closed the kennel door and the two left the room. Die’s hands were clenched in fists as he walked briskly and Tsuzuku kept up his pace. They had to find a way downstairs now.

“Who was she?” Tsuzuku asked.

“We had cages across from each other. She was brought in with other wolves one day when I was still young. She tried so hard to escape, to resist the experiments…she was so strong. She kept talking about having to get out so she could save her son. I guess she was never able to.” Die sighed. “After a while it seemed like guilt was slowly tearing her up as she was forced to watch her pack slowly die. We managed to come up with an escape plan together along with four others, but once we made it out it was every wolf for themselves. We should have stuck together.”

“You couldn’t have known what would’ve happened.” Tsuzuku said. “Besides, you did what you had to do to survive.”

“Sometimes I wonder if it was worth it.” Die whispered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” The alpha said. “Let’s keep moving.”

            After a couple of hours of exploring and mapping out the upper floor, Die finally spotted guards by a stairwell talking amongst each other when three scientists walked up to them glaring and they all quickly straightened up. The woman with a long ponytail looked between them and started pointing out to a few of them then over at Die and Tsuzuku.

“You two, follow us.” She ordered. Die let out a low growl, but nobody seemed to have heard it before he let out a loud ‘yes ma’am’ along with Tsuzuku. The other soldiers huffed and dispersed. A few complaining about not being able to see the wolves. The small selected group followed her down the stairs to a single door where she swiped her id card to open it.

            Tsuzuku felt his heart beating hard in his chest as they walked through the doors. He had to keep it together, but both he and Die were struggling at this point.  Lori stopped in front a cell and Tsuzuku had to hold himself from losing it. Inside was Kai holding Reita’s sleeping body. He watched as the glass door opened, as Kai attacked, as the guards fought, and as the scientist injected both Kai and Reita with something. He held back a whimper as Kai attacked Reita, but the blonde seemed to be fighting through Kai’s mind as the glass door shut again. Lori headed to the next cell, and the soldiers, including Die and Tsuzuku, followed.

            They stopped in front of Ryoga’s cell and Tsuzuku felt the urge to run to his mate. Die grabbed the omega’s arm and squeezed it, reminding him to keep his head. They watched as the glass door opened and Ryoga went on the attack. Tsuzuku smiled as he watched his mate fight and felt warm inside his chest, but then the blonde looked right at him. He felt Ryoga and he knew the alpha felt him as well. Tsuzuku gasped as he watched his mate get tackled to the ground. The only reason he wasn’t running in to help was because Die was holding him in place. They watched as some of the soldiers dragged Ryoga to the doors at the other end of the room.

             Tsuzuku felt his heart ache from being so close to seeing his mate and watching him get hurt like he did. Tsuzuku was out of it as Die dragged him forward to follow the group to the back hallway. Lori and Seph went into one of the rooms with two of the guards outside the room. Max waved for the other three to follow him down to the next room.

“You.” Max said pointing at Die, “Come in, I need your help moving the tables.”

Die went in leaving Tsuzuku and the other guard outside. Max dropped a file on a metal tray and went up to the cabinet to pull some stuff out. Die glanced at the file. It was opened to a page with an experiment. ‘Effects of Different Acids on a Humanoid Wolf.’

“Hey,” Max snapped. “Move the metal table to the center of the room.”

Die nodded and followed the order as Max moved a small metal table over with sanitized tools on it. He ordered Die to roll up another small table then the light next. All while he did this Max began speaking. “I was going to do this one on 036, but Lori thought of a different one she wanted to do on him. How different sedations will work on an altered wolf and to see if his pain reactors still work. Bums me out really. I wanted to do this one. That’s okay, I’m going to get do it once she’s finished with him.”

Die remained silent. It was taking everything he had not to kill this man right then and there.

“I just hope the general’s meeting in a couple of days doesn’t mess with it.”

“Meeting?” Die asked. ‘Shit’ he thought. He didn’t mean to speak.

“Oh right, we haven’t told you guys yet. A military general is coming to check out the new bioweapon Lori is developing. Anyways, you’ll be told in a few hours. Most of you guys will be on guard duty upstairs and outside. It’s mostly for show for the military.”

Die’s eyes widen and he let a small smile grace his lips. This was it, they just had to time everything perfectly.

~~~Present~~~

            “Why the fuck did sneaking in work for you guys and not us?” Toshiya snapped.

“Uh, because we’re smart.” Die said, earning a slap on the head by the other alpha. “Ow, that hurt you asshole!”

Shinya snorted trying to hold in his laugh, but they were all startled by the sound of a low grunt. They all looked over at Kai who was squirming in his sleep. Reita’s eyes opened and he gently rubbed his mate’s cheek.

“Kai?” He whispered. Kai’s bloodshot eyes opened wide and he let out a loud growl as he lurched forward. Reita cried out as Kai bit down on his shoulder.

“Kai!” Kyo snapped as he and Kaoru rushed to pull the crazed alpha off. Shinya ran to Reita side as Kai was yanked off. Reita gasped out gripping his bloody shoulder. He watched as Kai growled and struggled in Kaoru’s hold. He snapped his fangs at the other alpha then at Kyo.             Reita pulled away from Shinya and started crawling to his mate ignoring Shinya’s protests for him to stop. Kyo reached out to hold Reita back, but the blonde looked him in the eyes.

“He needs me.” Reita gasped.

“He’s too dangerous.” Kyo snapped.

“Kai…Kai’s calling for me.” Reita mumbled, pushing his body forward. “I can stop it. Please…”

Kyo nodded and helped Reita move towards his mate, but was ready to protect the omega at a seconds notice. Kai growled out as they came closer, but Reita ignored the threat and reached out with both hands to grab Kai’s head. The alpha bared his fangs, threatening to bite as Reita moved closer placing his forehead against Kai’s own.

~~~

_Reita opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by tall black bushes with thick vines covered in thorns; red skies with dark grey clouds above him; and red puddles were spread across the dead black ground. Reita looked to his side to see his inner wolf walking up next to him. Reita looked ahead not hesitating as he walked forward into the opening of bushes revealing the rows upon rows of dead bushes and vines. A loud low growl sounded nearby and Reita watched with wide eyes as a huge black beast walked out one of the rows. Its hind legs were short, front legs were long, solid red eyes, and it had long sharp canines with drool dripping down._

_It slowly turned to look at Reita and let out a loud growling howl before charging forward. Reita gasped stepping back, but his white wolf charged in. He watched as his white beast jumped into the air. He landed on the black beast’s head and bit into its head and Reita took this chance to run forward. The black beast swing its arm at Reita, but he dodged it and charged forward leaving his other half to take care of the monster._

_Reita ran down the rows of bushes until he came up to a large body of blood red water. Reita eyes widen at the sight past the water on the small island. Large wilted roses sat on the island with the biggest one having a vine cage in the center of it and inside the cage was Kai. He was wrapped in the vines and limply hung in the air._

_“Kai.” Reita whimpered. He looked back to see the large beast throwing his white wolf onto the ground and hitting it with its hand like paw. “No!”_

_The white wolf landed all fours before running to the monster again. Reita let out a sigh of relief before turning back around. He ran into the water where it was immediately stomach deep._

_He reached the small island in minutes where he climbed the mound up to the largest rose. He stared at Kai’s body just hanging inside the vine cage. Reita grabbed one of the vines and started pulling at it, but it was like pulling at a steal bar. A loud roar sounded behind him and he turned to see the black beast jumping into the water. It charged forward and Reita pressed his back against the vine cage watching the beast come closer. It jumped into the air right above him, but Reita waited until the last second before jumping into the water._

_He was quick to pop up and found the beast growling above him, but past it was the torn cage. The beast moved to bite Reita, but his white wolf was quick to jump on its head and bit it first. Reita quickly climbed back up to the cage and slipped in. He didn’t wait before pulling at the vines around Kai’s body. When Reita couldn’t get them loose, he climbed up until he was looking in Kai’s face. He held the alpha’s cheeks as he rubbed his forehead against Kai’s._

_“Kai, you have to wake up.” Reita whimpered. The beast roared behind him, but he ignored it as he pushed for Kai to wake up. “Please…”_

_Kai let out a small groan as his forehead wrinkled and his eyes squeezed before opening. “Reita?”_

_“Kai!” Reita gasped._

_“What?”_

_“You have to snap out of it. We—” Reita was cut off as the beast grabbed him._

_“Reita!” Kai screamed, watching his mate being thrown into the water. The alpha glared at the black beast growling at him. It roared out as it swung its claws across the vines holding Kai’s body in the air. He dropped hard onto the ground but he didn’t have time groan before he was dodging the next attack from the beast. He barely managed to crawl out and jump into the water before the beast tore into the bottom of the vines._

_Kai took this chance run to his mate who was sitting up slowly. Reita groaned leaning into Kai’s body as the brunette held him. They looked at the black creature tearing into wilted rose. Kai whimpered out gripping his chest._

_“The hell is that thing?” Kai gasped._

_“It’s you.” Reita answered. “Or at least your inner wolf.”_

_Kai groaned in pain, gripping his chest. “Damn it.”_

_“You have to get control of it.” Reita said._

_Kai nodded and closed his eyes trying to focus, but in less than a minute he gasped out. Reita was quick to catch his mate before he fell to the side._

_“I can’t. It’s too strong.” Kai said._

_Reita rubbed Kai’s arm as they watched the beast tearing into the small island all while Kai’s pain grew. “Kai, remember how my wolf would trap me inside my own soul. Maybe you can do the opposite, at least until you’re strong enough to control your wolf again.”_

_Kai gasped staring out at the beast before closing his eyes again. Reita held Kai’s hand as his white wolf limped to stand in front of them. Kai hissed in pain, but used Reita to support himself as he concentrated. The beast let out a roaring howl as it turned to look at them, but before it could take a step, a thorny vine out from the ground and wrapped around its neck. It growled out as more vines shot from the ground, wrapping around its body. It tore at the vines, but more came up to wrap around its body. Reita watched as the beast was pulled onto the ground with more vines and as a large rose came up closing its petals around it._

~~~

            Reita slowly opened his eyes and pulled his forehead away from Kai. The pack was still standing around them. Kaoru and Kyo were hanging onto a limp Kai in front of him. Reita whimpered as he rubbed Kai’s cheek.

“Kai…”

The alpha groaned, slowly lifting his head. His eyes were still bloodshot, but they weren’t as red anymore. “Rei…”

Reita gave a small smile, but his lips dropped as his body fell over. Kai’s eyes grew wide as he watched his mate fall to the side. Kai felt a pain deep into his chest and he gasped out before screaming. Tears ran down his cheeks as he dropped his head and continued to scream out Reita’s name.

            Shinya was already at Reita’s side sitting him up. The omega was limp in Shinya’s arms and Toshiya moved to help carry Reita away from his mate. Kai watched as they took Reita away, but he only hung limply in Kaoru’s and Kyo’s arms as he continued to cry.


	37. Forgiveness

            Kyo sniffed the air as he looked around the area then walked back through the bushes. When he made his way through the trees he spotted Toshiya and Die in their wolf forms pacing around the small group. Toshiya nodded his head towards his pack leader as he continued to walk. Reita was laying in the center along with Uruha beside him. Ruki was sitting between them, rubbing his mate’s stomach while also looking over Reita as he slept. Shinya was sitting next to Reita as well, rubbing his head trying to give him some sort of comfort. Ryoga and Tsuzuku were off to the side a little bit resting while they could. Kai was by the edge of the woods with Kaoru. Kai was still restrained and groaning in pain.

            Kyo ordered Kaoru to keep Kai away from the group in case of another outburst. He wouldn’t even let Shinya near the other alpha. Kaoru had to take up the task of wiping the sweat off Kai’s forehead and holding him down when he lost his mind or if he was in a lot of pain.

“We need to get moving.”

“Uruha just got to sleep.” Ruki said.

“I’m sorry, but we’ve stayed here long enough.”

“Just a little longer.” Ruki pleaded.

Before Kyo could respond Ryoga sat up with a start and jumped to his feet. “We have company.” Tsuzuku stood up along with his mate and with the others in the group. Ruki changed and stood over his mate growling, which woke him up. Die growled out as he charged forward.

“Die!” Kyo snapped. Three soldiers came through the trees as Die jumped in the air to tackle one down. Ryoga and Tsuzuku were right behind him taking down the other two, but more came out with guns pointing. Kaoru, Kyo, and Toshiya were quick to attack the soldiers before they could fire their weapons.

            Ruki moved in front of the two omegas and Shinya to guard them from any attacks. He glanced over at Kai struggling alone, but he didn’t seem to have attracted any attention. Reita groaned as he slowly woke up, but was quickly pulled up into Uruha’s tight embrace. The blonde grunted, confused as to why he was in pain and why there was growling around him.

“Kai?” He whimpered out.

Ruki’s ears perked as a soldier came from his right and he didn’t hesitate to jump at the man. The soldier shot his gun as Ruki jumped on him. Ruki let out a soft whimper when he felt a sting in his front leg, but he ignored it as he bit into the soldier. Two more came out and aimed their guns at Reita, Uruha, and Shinya, but the beta stood in front of them, using his body as a shield. Reita whimpered seeing the guns aiming at his head.

“Kai…”

            Kai’s eyes dilated and the whites turned red. He growled out pulling at his restraints as he watched the soldiers move closer to his mate. His chest burned as his heartbeat grew fast, and his teeth elongated into fangs. The metal chains to Kai’s restraints finally snapped and he jumped to his feet. He grabbed the collar around his neck and tugged at it, but it didn’t budged. That didn’t stop him from running to his mate. One of the soldiers spotted him and shot his gun. Kai ignored the bullet piercing his side. He tackled the soldier to the ground and started punching. He leaned down and bit into the man’s neck, tearing into it.

            The second soldier smashed the butt of his into Shinya’s head and the beta fell to the side with blood running down the side of his face. Kyo turned with a growl and went to charge in, but a gun went off, the bullet barely missing him. Kyo growled at the soldier that shot at him and jumped to take the attacker out first. Uruha cried out as the soldier grabbed Reita’s hair and started pulling him. Uruha wouldn’t let Reita go so the soldier kicked him in the stomach.

            “Uruha!” Ruki screamed as his mate curled onto the ground. Reita cried out as he was pulled away and dragged. Ruki was running back to kill the man that hurt his mate. Kai’s eyes changed the second he heard Reita yell out. His pupils went from dilated to slits and his teeth sharpened as they grew. His nails grew as veins popped all over his arms and he reached up to grab the collar around his neck. He pulled at the metal until the lock unhinged and he was able to slide it over his head. 

            Kai growled out changing into his black wolf and quickly jumped towards the man holding his mate. They fell hard into the ground as Kai ripped the soldier apart. Shinya was at Uruha’s side until Ruki ran up, then the beta ran to Reita, but when he got close Kai raised from his prey. The black wolf jumped over Reita’s body before Shinya could reach him. Shinya gasped as he stopped short with Kai growling at him. The black wolf jumped to attack Shinya, but Kyo body slammed him before he could. Kai steadied himself growling at Kyo and the pack leader growled back.

“Kyo…” Shinya whimpered.

“Stay back. He’s a threat right now.” Kyo said.

“Kai.” Reita gasped struggling to his hands and knees. “Kai, can you hear me?”

“Reita stay back, that’s an order.” Kyo snapped.

            Kai growled out when Kyo gave an order to the blonde. Blood and saliva was dripping from Kai’s snout as he was getting ready attack the pack leader. Reita crawled forward a bit but was stopped when Kaoru grabbed his shoulder. The soldiers had been dealt with and the wolves were all now watching the scene. Kai ran forward and Kyo did the same, but Reita couldn’t watch this happen. He pulled from Kaoru’s hold and changed in to his wolf form.

            Reita jumped in between them, making Kyo stop, but Kai tackled Reita onto the ground. They rolled around biting into each other until Kai pulled off and jumped back. Reita tried to stand but his shaking legs couldn’t take his own weight and he fell back down. Kai’s ears dropped and he whimpered out shaking his head. Reita’s body changed back as he gasped for air. Shinya was quick to get to Reita’s side as Kai began groaning and shaking his head.

            Shinya rolled Reita onto his back as he was shaking and whimpering out. Reita clawed at his own chest as he tried to speak, but only thing that came out was drool. Kai growled out swinging his head and stumbling around with Die, Toshiya, and Kyo waiting to defend against him.

“Shinya!” Ruki whimpered. He was holding onto Uruha’s body as the omega cried out holding his stomach. Shinya looked at the omega, then down at Reita whimpering in his arms. Shinya sat Reita down gently and ran over to Uruha. Shinya rubbed Uruha’s stomach and started feeling for anything abnormal. Then moved to check to see if there was any bleeding but there wasn’t.

“Do you feel any cramping? Any contractions?” Shinya asked.

“No. It just hurts where he kicked.” Uruha said rubbing his upper stomach. Shinya raised Uruha’s shirt and saw the red mark in the shape of a boot and rubbed it making Uruha hissed.

“I can’t say for sure how it affected the baby. We can only wait and see.”

“Wait and see?” Ruki snapped.

“I can’t do anything out here Ruki. I don’t have the equipment to check him. An omega’s body is strong enough to endure this. I have to go back to Reita.”

“No!” Ruki snapped. “My mate—”

“Reita could be dying.” Shinya said and Ruki became silent. They looked over at Reita who was clawing into the dirt with one hand and his back arching off the ground. Tears were running out of the blonde’s eyes as he continued to claw at his now bleeding chest. 

            Kai growled out as he turned to face the group. Drool dripping out of his mouth as he stepped forward and Kyo bared his teeth. Kai took another step forward, but groaned and dropped his head. He slowly started changing back into his human form, but it seemed like he was struggling to do it. His body began to revert back to his wolf, but finally he dropped in his human form. Kai rolled on his back and gripped at his chest screaming out in pain.

            Shinya whimpered as he started crying and he looked at his own mate. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t…”

They heard rustling from behind them and Toshiya and Die ran up. They were ready for another attack, but a familiar face appeared instead. Byou was slipping through the trees along with Shou and Koichi. They all let out a deep breath.

“We heard gunshots.” Byou stated.

“Byou, help me over here.” Shinya ordered still by Reita’s side. Byou rushed over to the beta, but noticed the blood on his face first. He reached out to touch Shinya’s head, and the beta flinched. “I’m fine.”

Shou walked up to the alphas giving them hugs. “We were so worried.”

Koichi ran to Tsuzuku, practically tackling him with a hug. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”

            Reita let out a deep gasp as his eyes rolled up and his body went limp. Before they could react Kai whimpered out as he too passed out. Byou moved to check the other alpha, but Kyo didn’t give them much time before ordering them to move out. Toshiya threw Kai over shoulder as Byou picked Reita up in his arms. Ruki helped Uruha up and they all followed Shou and Koichi through the woods.

~~~

            Melody was pacing as the omegas sat by the river when they heard rustling from the trees. She started growling, but when relaxed when her pack came though. She and the others were quick to greet the returning members. Aoi jumped into Kaoru’s arms, crying and squeezing him tightly. Kaoru pressed a kiss on his omega’s lips as he was greeted. Ruki had Uruha sit down against a tree as Byou laid Reita down next to them. Toshiya sat Kai down and started working on removing the remaining shackles on his wrists. Once they were off, Toshiya tied Kai back up with some rope. Byou made Shinya sit so he could stitch and bandage up the cut on his head, then he was prompted to look at the small graze on Kai’s side.

            Uruha took steady breathes rubbing his stomach until he felt a kick. He smiled and looked at his mate.

“Ruki, here.” He said grabbing the alpha’s hand. He placed it on his stomach so they could feel the baby moving around inside. They smiled to one another, but Uruha frowned when he noticed something red on Ruki’s other arm. He gasped seeing all the blood. “Your arm.”

“I’m okay. The baby—”

“Byou!” Uruha called. The alpha jumped at the sudden call of his name, but he rushed over nonetheless. He grabbed at Ruki’s arm, making the brunette hiss.

“Hiroto, I need some forceps, water, clean rags, a needle, thread, and some bandages. And some alcohol too.”

The omega nodded at the order and ran to one of the bags to gather the supplies. Byou continued to look over Ruki’s arm as Shinya moved over to help.

            Hiroto was quick to bring the items over and laid them on a clean cloth. Hiroto grabbed the bottle of alcohol and poured the clear substance on Shinya’s and Byou’s hands. Shinya grabbed the water bottle next and poured it on gunshot wound. Ruki clenched his teeth as he watched the blood pour away. Byou grabbed the forceps as Shinya held Ruki’s arm still.

“Take a deep breath.” Byou said. Ruki did as Uruha grabbed the alpha’s other hand. Byou proceeded to carefully insert the forceps into the wound and Ruki let out a low grunt as his eyes squeezed shut, but let out a low scream as Byou pulled the bullet out. Ruki gasped for air, leaning his head on Uruha’s shoulder as Shinya worked next on cleaning and stitching the wound.

~~~

            _Kai slowly opened his eyes up to see Reita looking down at him with a smile. The alpha was floating in water with his mate sitting next to him. Kai slowly sat up realizing they were in his inner soul. He couldn’t look at his mate though._

_“I…I hurt you. I’m so sorry Reita…” He whimpered out. “I don’t know how I can fix this. I don’t how to make it right. How can I be your mate after doing those horrible things to you?”_

_“Look.” Reita said and Kai met his eyes. Reita was holding the chain and rose vine that connected them. “We’re still connected. After all that, we’re still mates and nothing will change that. And your wolf, it’s gotten smaller since last time.”_

_Kai glanced at the beast laying on the island. It was definitely smaller and lost most of the monstrous qualities it had before. Even so, Kai was torn about it. “Reita, I did those horrible things to you.”_

_“Kai—” Reita started but was cut off. Within a blink of an eye, Reita was gone from Kai’s soul. The brunette whimpered out clenching his chest._

~~~

            Reita opened his eyes gasping for air looking around at the sun shining between the leaves.

“Hey, it’s okay, calm down.” Uruha said rubbing Reita’s forehead. The blonde caught his breath before trying to sit up, but whimpered as pain filled his body.

“You don’t need to be sitting up.” Shinya said walking up to them.

“Where’s Kai?” Reita whimpered.

“He’s sleeping.”

“But where is he? We were talking, but then…”

“We moved him away from you. We don’t think it’s safe for him to be close to you or anyone else right now. That bitch did something to him.” Shinya said.

“I want to be by my mate.”

“Reita—”

“Either help me or I’ll get to him myself!” Reita growled.

“Reita, enough!” Kyo snapped forcing his pressure onto the omega. “You’re not going anywhere near him. He’s too dangerous right now.”

“He won’t…hurt…” Reita whimpered out falling to the side.

“Reita?” Shinya asked grabbing the omega’s shoulder to shake him, but the blonde didn’t wake up. “Kyo, you can’t do that!”

Kyo sighed. “He needs to understand that Kai isn’t well right now.”

“They’re mates.” Shinya whispered. “You can’t keep them apart like this.”

“I don’t want to see them hurt any more than they already are.”

Shinya smiled as he stood up to give Kyo a kiss. “Kai needs Reita. That’s why Reita is so hell bent on being close to him. So either we move them now, or Reita causes more damage to himself trying to get to Kai when he wakes back up.”

Kyo closed his eyes his eyes for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

            Kai was placed next to Reita and the blonde instinctively curled up against him. Kyo sat next to them on alert just in case Kai went wild again, but the two continued to sleep instead. Kyo noticed a tear running down Reita’s face and he heard the blonde whispering something. He moved in closer to hear the blonde better.

“…fault. It’s not your fault.”

            “I don’t get it.” Shou said. He was sitting with most of the pack chatting, but he was staring at Reita and Kai.

“What?” Byou asked.

“How can Reita even want to be near Kai? I mean Kai raped him. Who would want to be with their rapist?”

“You weren’t there.” Kaoru snapped. “You have no idea what they went through together.”

“Then explain it, because I don’t understand it.” Shou said. “If I was Reita, I would petition to have Kai kicked out.”

“You don’t understand because you don’t have a bonded mate.” Kaoru snapped. “Kai was on the verge of losing his mind. Reita was his anchor to reality. He did what he thought was right to keep Kai from giving into his inner beast. Reita didn’t fight back, he encouraged to Kai to continue because he knew what would happen. He knew Kai would give in, lose his mind, and kill anything and anyone near him. Reita would rather have himself be hurt, than to lose Kai.”

“When you bond to a mate,” Melody chimed in. “they mean everything to you. You’d die to protect them, suffer to protect them, and forgive to protect them. Once you’re bonded you’ll understand. Until then, you have no right to speak about how Reita should or shouldn’t feel. He sacrificed his body for his mate like any omega would for their alpha. You should respect him as a fellow omega and support him instead of criticizing him.”

            Shinya looked at the couple laying on the ground and he started rubbing his stomach. Kyo took notice and stood up to go to his mate. Shinya hugged Kyo tightly and whimpered out a little bit.

“Shinya…”

“They wanted to take our pup away from me.” Shinya sniffled. “They wanted to experiment on it. _Just the thought…Kyo…I can’t live through losing another child_.”

“I won’t let anything like before happen again.”

“I’m so scared.” Shinya whispered. “I’m so scared of losing another baby.”

“We won’t lose this child.” Kyo said.

“We have to get to a town soon. One with wolves. We have to check Uruha’s baby. He was kicked and we have to check on Reita and Kai and we have to—”

“Shinya, calm down.” Kyo ordered. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

“Kyo, sorry to interrupt.” Kaoru said. “But, I want to scout ahead. If we’re where I think we are, then that means home isn’t too terribly far.”

Kyo nodded still holding his mate. “Yeah, okay. While you do that I’ll get some others to hunt for food. We’ll eat then head out.”

“Sounds good to me.”

~~~

            Byou sniffed the air as he walked with Shou and Hitsugi behind him, all three in their wolf forms. Byou had caught the scent of a deer nearby and was tracking it. If it was big enough, they could get away with only needing one, but that’s if they were lucky. They moved through the trees carefully tracking the deer. Shou’s ears perked as they walked past a tree and he parted from the other two. Byou stopped with a huff as he watched the omega wonder off towards the tree.

‘Sometimes I wonder if he has ADD or something’ Byou thought to himself.

Shou changed to his human form and started going through the bush as Byou walked over to him changing as well. “What are you doing?”

Shou stood back up, showing the small bird with a few grey feathers in his palms as it made soft chirping noises. “The little guy must have fell out of its nest.”

“Right…” Byou sighed.

“Wow, can you sound any more heartless.” Shou mumbled walking past.

“Shou—”

“I bet that’s its nest up there.” The omega said pointing up. Byou looked up at one of the branches then back down to find Shou already climbing, holding the bird with one hand.

“Hey! You’re not a cat.”

“Yeah, what’s your point?” Shou snapped as he continued.

“Just be careful.” Byou said. He and Hitsugi watched as the other omega climbed the branches higher and higher. Shou finally reached the nest and sat the small bird inside beside its brothers and sisters. He laughed as they chirped and reached to pet one of the bird’s heads. Suddenly two adult black birds started flying around Shou’s head pecking at him. He yelped swatting at them until he leaned back too far.

“Shou!” Byou shouted as the omega started to fall. Branches broke as Shou dropped towards the ground. Byou didn’t hesitate to catch Shou and they both fell into the ground with a loud grunt. The omega sat up on Byou’s lap hissing as he rubbed his head. Byou groaned sitting up as best as he could with the omega still on top of him.

“Are you okay, Shou?” Byou asked.

“Y-yeah,” He mumbled finally looking at the alpha and his eyes widen a bit. Byou had a scratch on his cheek with a little blood dripping down. Shou reached down to wipe to blood away with his thumb. Byou hissed with a flinch. “You’re always getting your cheeks cut.”

“Yeah, it always seems to be an omega doing it, too.” Byou said grabbing Shou’s hand and the two met eyes. Shou’s cheeks burned as he stared into Byou’s piercing eyes. They both felt a sudden warmth in their chests and Shou moved back.

“Are you guys finished?” Hitsugi asked waiting with his arms crossed. They didn’t even see him change back. The two looked between each other and quickly separated before standing up. Byou slapped the back Shou’s head.

“What the hell?” Shou snapped.

“Be more careful, you idiot!” Byou growled. “Let’s go before we lose the damn deer.”

Shou pouted rubbing the back of his head and followed Byou into the trees.

~~~

            Kaoru slipped through the trees back into camp where he spotted a fire with parts of deer cooking over it. Byou and Shou were bickering with each other by the fire as Miyavi and Melody laughed at their stupidity. He walked towards Kyo, but Aoi had ran up to greet him. He greeted the omega before telling him to go sit back down. Kaoru walked straight to Kyo, who was sitting with Shinya laying on his legs. The alpha was petting his beta’s head as Kaoru knelt next to them.

“How close are we?” Kyo asked.

“We’re a few miles from Winters Road. It’s a straight shot from there to my old home and to BlueJay City.”

“We’re almost there.” Shinya mumbled, slightly awake.

“Yeah,” Kyo whispered, kissing Shinya on the forehead. “Just a little longer.”

~~~

            Kai woke with a start, his eyes bloodshot and his heart pounding, but his mate’s scent caught his attention. He found Reita sleeping against him and his heartbeat slowed down. He leaned down to kiss Reita on his head, but stopped short. Memories of what happened flashed through his mind and he laid his head back down. He sniffled as tears filled his eyes. The shaking from Kai’s chest woke Reita up from his deep sleep. The blonde groaned as he tried to sit up. The motion caught Byou’s attention and he was quick to run over to the two.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be moving around.” Byou said kneeling beside the blonde. Reita ignored him though and reached up to wipe away the tears from Kai’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Reita asked, but Kai pulled his face away.

“Don’t… don’t touch me.” Kai whispered.

“Kai, what’s the matter?” Reita whimpered reaching for him again.

 _“Don’t touch me!”_ Kai growled, baring his fangs. Byou wrapped his arms around Reita’s body and pulled him back as Kai sat up snapping at them. “Don’t come near me.”

Reita whimpered, looking into his mate’s teary bloodshot eyes. Kyo and Kaoru were both quick to run to the scene with the rest of the pack watching closely. Kyo stood next to Kai with Kaoru on the other side of the brunette.

“Kai calm down.” The pack leader ordered.

“I can’t.” Kai whimpered. His fingers were working at the ropes that bound his wrists. “I can’t stay here. I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“You won’t.” Kyo said softly.

Kai looked Reita directly in the eye. “I already have.”

“Kai.” Reita whimpered.

Kai squeezed his eyes shut as tears streamed down his cheeks. He pulled the rope knots and it fell loose. “I’m sorry.” He whimpered jumping to his feet, but before they could react, he changed into a wolf and ran into the trees.

“Kai!” Reita screamed reaching his hand out.

            “Reita calm down. “Kyo ordered. “Kaoru watch everyone. I’m going after him.”

“Be careful.” Shinya said and Kyo nodded before taking off into the forest. Reita pulled away from Byou’s hold and started crawling on the ground. “Reita, what are you doing?”

“I have to go after him. I have to.”

“You’re in no condition to even stand up.” Byou sighed.

Reita glared at them, then up at Kaoru. “Kaoru, help me go after Kai.”

“No. I have my orders and you can’t be moving around.”

Reita growled. “Either help me, or I’ll crawl to him myself!”

“Reita—”

“He needs me!” Reita cried out interrupting Shinya. “He’s always protecting me and saving me. He’s hurt and his mind is jumbled up. I’m the only one who can help him.”

Kaoru sighed as he turned and looked at Melody. “Keep an eye out on everyone. We shouldn’t be gone too long.”

He changed into a wolf and nudged at Reita who climbed on with Byou’s help. Shinya patted Reita’s back. “Hang on tightly okay.”

~~~

            Kyo stayed on Kai’s trail, but hanged back as to not catch his attention. He didn’t want the other alpha getting aggressive. The sun was setting by the time Kai had stopped to rest. He changed to a human and walked to a fallen tree where he sat down. He dropped his head into his hands and started crying out. Leaves rustled as Kyo stepped through the bushes, but Kai didn’t seem to notice. The pack leader changed into his human form as well and walked up to the alpha.

“I thought you were never going to stop running.” Kyo said, making Kai jump a bit. The pack leader sat next to Kai on the tree. “You worried the entire pack when you ran away.”

“Kyo, please…leave me be.”

“Why? So you can fall in a pit of despair and so Reita can die from being torn from his mate. I’d rather not.” Kyo said. “One way or another you’re coming back. Even if I have to drag your skinny ass.”

“I’m serious.” Kai snapped. “I can’t go back. I can’t be around Reita right now. I’ll hurt him again, I just know it.”

“No you won’t. Whatever you were drugged with is making its way out of your system. You being aware of what’s going on is proof of that. Plus, before when you snapped out we could see it in your eyes that you were out for blood, but earlier your face was covered in fear. Another day or two, and you’ll be back to normal.”

“Normal?” Kai whimpered. “I raped my mate. I almost killed him! Nothing will ever be normal again!”

“You weren’t you when that happened.”

“That’s not an excuse. I remember it. I remember everything and I can’t fix the damaged I caused Reita. I deserve to die.”

Kyo slapped Kai across the face. “Don’t you dare say that again. Reita wouldn’t survive if you took your own life. Is that what you want? For the both of you to die?”

“No! I want Reita to have a mate that he deserves. Not—”

“Words have power. Think before you say what you’re about to say.” Kyo snapped, glaring at the alpha.

            “Kai?”

Both Kai and Kyo looked toward the bushes as a grey wolf walked out carrying Reita on its back. The blonde sat up a little bit as Kaoru came to a stop. Reita moved to get off Kaoru’s back and he stumbled to his feet. He whimpered out trying to take a step, but fell instead.

“Rei…” Kai whimpered watching his mate sit up enough to use his arms to crawl. Reita used all his strength to pull his body forward. Kai couldn’t watch his mate struggle any longer and ran to the blonde. Kai dropped to his knees and pulled Reita up into his arms.

“Don’t leave.” Reita whispered. “Please don’t leave. You need me. I don’t want you to suffer anymore.”

“I should be the one saying that to you.” Kai cried. “I’ve hurt you so much.”

Reita smiled as he looked Kai in the eyes. “I made the choice to sacrifice my body to save you. I could have easily made you stop.”

“Then why…”

“Because you would have lost your mind. I felt you slipping away and I couldn’t let that happen. I knew there was a chance for you to feel me while we mated. Every time we did, I felt a little piece of you still there. I couldn’t let you fall, because then you would really die. I wouldn’t be able to live if I let that happen to you. I would do the same thing all over again. I would sacrifice everything to protect you, just like you would for me.”

Kai whimpered out and buried his head into Reita’s shoulder as he cried out. The blonde hugged him tightly burying his face into Kai’s neck. Kai pulled away to kiss Reita on the head. “I’m so sorry.”

Reita smiled softly. “I forgive you.” Kai’s eyes widen as he slowly pulled away and looked down at Reita’s smiling face. Reita reached up and rubbed Kai’s cheek. “Let’s go back, together. We’ll work everything out slowly.”

“O-okay.” Kai whispered. He carefully picked Reita up in his arms and looked over at Kaoru and Kyo. Kyo nodded and took the lead with Kai walking behind and Kaoru taking the rear. Reita slowly closed his eyes as Kai sent soft waves of pressure throughout his body.

~~~

            Shinya and Melody were still awake when the four wolves returned. The rest of the pack were sleeping around the fire. Kyo met with them and decided they could leave at first light. Kai carefully laid Reita down, then settled next to him. Melody grabbed a blanket from one of the bags and used it to cover the two wolves up. Kaoru sat down next to Aoi who reached his hand out to grab Kaoru’s own. The alpha smiled as he rubbed his thumb over Aoi’s knuckles. Kyo and Shinya cuddled beside the fire and watched it burn as they drifted off to sleep.


	38. Kaoru's Home

            The pack was walking down a gravel road, the sun was making its way up to the middle of the sky as they sauntered on under its heat. Kaoru had taken the lead with Kyo following in the rear keeping watch on everyone and the surroundings. Kaoru stopped for a moment seeing a familiar rusty black gate, but continued forward with Aoi in tow. Kaoru pushed the gate open and stepped in, but stopped. The pack walked up next to him stopping as well. Even Kyo took a minute to look at the two story, white, decrepit house. The windows were boarded up, but some had a plank or two missing, probably fallen off over time. The white paint was chipped, wood rotted on some areas, and the roof had a few spots with holes in it.

Reita, who had been riding on Kai’s back, slowly lifted his head with droopy eyes.

“Are we here?” He whispered.

“Yeah, we made it.” Kai said.

“That’s good.” Reita said before dropping his head again.

            Uruha rubbed his stomach as he looked at his mate and gave him a tired smile. They finally made it. Kaoru took a deep breath squeezing Aoi’s hand before taking the first step forward. He led the way up to the house, but then he stopped and looked at the porch. The wood was broken in some spots while rotting in other spots. Kaoru let Aoi go and knelt down to crawl under the porch.

“Kaoru?” Aoi asked.

“He’s getting the spare keys.” Kyo said. “You didn’t think he’d keep this place unlocked this whole time did you?”

Aoi looked at the ground with a blush. Kaoru crawled back out with a small red tool box rusted and covered in dirt. Kaoru opened it up and pulled out a ring of keys as he climbed up the creaking porch steps. The keys jingled as he unlocked the dead bolt and doorknob lock. He took a deep breath as he pushed it open to show the dark room. The pack started walking forward, but Kyo raised a hand to stop them. Kaoru needed a minute to himself.

            The alpha took a few steps in looking around the room. There was no electricity, so the only light was coming from the windows that had the broken planks. The air was dusty, what furniture was there was covered in white sheets, and the floor was covered in a layer of dirt.

            Aoi was outside watching and he looked to Kyo waiting for permission to go forward, but pack leader just raised an eyebrow and Aoi realized he didn’t need that permission. He was Kaoru’s mate after all. Aoi ran forward and joined the alpha inside the house. He grabbed Kaoru’s hand catching his attention, and the alpha looked at him with a smile. Kaoru looked back at the pack and nodded at Kyo. The pack leader gave a curt nod in return and led the remaining pack inside too look for themselves.

“Kai.” Shinya said waving his hand for the alpha to follow. The beta walked to a couch and pulled the white sheet off of it. Reita groaned as he was nudged by the other blonde. “Come on Reita, you’ll feel better laying down.”

He let out a mumbled ‘K’ before moving to put his shaking legs down. Shinya helped him stay up until Kai was able to turn around and help Reita stay upright. They moved him to the couch and he slowly laid down on his side. Kai knelt down next to him and started rubbing his head, making him smile.

            “Okay, listen up.” Kyo caught everyone’s attention. “I know you’re all tired, but we need to start fixing up this place. Histugi, Koichi, Ryoga, Miyavi, Tsuzuku, Kai, and Ruki: you all start getting the boards off the windows. The rest of you, start cleaning up all the rooms and get them ready to sleep in tonight.”

“Ruki,” Uruha mumbled rubbing his eyes.

“Kyo,” Ruki said. “Uru needs to rest.”

The pack leader nodded. “There’s a room down the hall to the right. You guys can take that room, but once he’s settle I need you helping around the house.”

“Of course.” Ruki said and grabbed Uruha’s hand. “Come on.”

            Kaoru only listened a little to Kyo’s orders before heading upstairs towards the master bedroom. His old bedroom. Aoi was walking up behind him as they entered and he watched as Kaoru pulled the white sheets off the bed. The alpha grazed his fingers on the wooden bedframe, his eyes and mind were lost in memories. He looked up, spotting Aoi standing in the doorway watching. Kaoru cleared his throat as he walked over to the omega and led him back out of the room closing the door behind them.

            The pack started on their assignments, working on the house without complaint. Kyo had dug through the bags they brought and finally found a flashlight. He and Kaoru went to the back of the house towards the laundry room. By the doorway was a bookshelf to the right wall. The two alphas pushed it out of the way revealing a door in the wall. Kaoru unlocked it and opened it up showing the stairs going down into darkness. They turned the flashlight on, walked down the stairs, and shined the light around the dark room. It landed on a large metal box with a combination lock on it.

            They walked to it and Kaoru spun the lock right, left, then right again hitting the desired numbers. There was a click and the alpha grabbed the handle to open it up. They shined the light inside, revealing the two black bags sitting at the bottom. Kaoru pulled them out, opened them both up showing the money that filled the both of them. He looked up Kyo and nodded before they each grabbed one to carry up the stairs.

~~~

            Reita was in a deep sleep, but something was starting to pull at his mind. He opened his eyes, finding the room he was in lighter than before. He sat up enough to look around but plopped back down on the couch. Something felt weird in his stomach. He rubbed his hand down his torso and abdomen. He let out a soft grunt as the feeling grew like a cramp, but something about it was different. Before he could process it, he felt a sharp pain go through his stomach as if he was being stabbed by knife. He curled into a ball and bit his lip whimpering, trying not to scream.

            He couldn’t hold it in much more and let out a loud cry burying his head into the cushion. He was so lost in his own pain it took him a moment to register the warm hand on his shoulder and he slowly looked up to see Shinya beside him. Reita whimpered out gripping the beta’s hand. He let out a deep gasp as the pain started to subside.

“Here.” Byou said walking up with a rag and a half empty bottle of water in his hands. Shinya took the wet rag and wiped off Reita’s sweaty face. The blonde hummed at the cool feeling and looked at the two doctors. Shinya took the water from Byou, who had uncapped it, and lift Reita’s head up. The blonde gladly drank the water down before pulling his head away, signaling he was finished.

“Feeling better?” Shinya asked, and Reita nodded his head. “Good, now tell me what happened.”

Reita took a steady breath before explaining the pain in abdomen, and Shinya had him lay on his back. The blonde ignored the uncomfortable feeling in his backside as Shinya felt his stomach to check for any obvious signs that caused the pain. He couldn’t find anything, so he helped the blonde back on his side.

“Tell me if it happens again. Once I get access to some equipment, I’ll give you a proper examination okay.”

Reita nodded. “I’m tired.”

“Alright, we’ll leave you alone for now. I’m going to give you some more medicine in a couple of hours. Yell for me if you need anything.” Shinya said. Reita gave them another nod as his eyes slowly closed. Byou and Shinya were quiet as they slipped out of the room. Shinya glanced back into the living room though.

“What’s wrong?” Byou asked.

“Normally, when Reita’s in pain, Kai would be by his side in seconds, but…”

Byou caught on to what the beta was saying. “Do you think…Kai caused the pain and doesn’t want to see Reita because of it? Like before?”

“I don’t know. Keep cleaning up, I’m going outside.” Shinya said.

            Shinya slipped passed Reita, who had drifted off to sleep, and went outside. He walked around the house until he spotted the alpha pulling off another plank at the back. Beside him was a rusty ladder with Ruki at the top working on the window to the second floor. Shinya cleared his throat catching Kai’s attention.

“Shinya.” The brunette nodded.

“Kai, did you…” He hesitated, but decided to be straight forward. “Did you feel Reita a minute ago?”

“What do you mean? He’s sleeping right now. Right?”

“Do you feel him right now?”

“Yeah of course.” Kai said. “Why are you asking? Did something happen?”

“Well… yes. Reita had a bit of pain a few minutes ago. We thought you’d come, but don’t worry.” Shinya added seeing Kai’s eyes widen and his lips dropped to a slight frown. “It was probably just something minor. If it’s not serious an omega’s body won’t alert the alpha.”

“A-are you sure?” Kai mumbled looking to the ground. “It wasn’t something I caused…right?”

“No of course not.” Shinya said with a smile, but deep down he himself wasn’t sure what caused Reita’s pain. For all he knew it may have been caused by Kai, but the alpha didn’t need that on his conscious as well. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Kai gave a slight nod. “Do you think…I should go sit with him?”

“That’s for you to decide.” Shinya said. He watched as Kai moved to leave, but then he must have changed his mind. Kai turned back to the window to start working again. Shinya let out a soft sigh as he walked away. Making it to the corner, Shinya looked back to see Kai staring at the wall with tears rolling down his cheeks.

~~~

            Kyo and Kaoru sat the bags down in the kitchen as Shinya was walking through. He stopped short and looked at the bags with wide eyes.

“We’re going into town to get the water and electricity running.” Kaoru said.

“There’s a stop I’m going to make while we’re out too. We’ll be gone for a few hours, so Melody is in charge. Find Toshiya and Die, tell them to go get us some dinner and have Kai cook. It’ll be a good distraction for him.”

Shinya nodded his head before walking to his mate and kissing him. “Be safe.”

“We will.” Kyo said before kneeling down and placing a kiss on his mate’s stomach. Shinya gave him a big smile as the alpha stood back up.

            Kyo walked out with Kaoru and stopped at the porch steps. Kyo dropped his bag and walked around the house. He spotted a few his pack work on the windows and the one he was mainly looking for.

“Ryoga.”

The blonde looked at the pack leader and stopped what he was doing. “Yeah?”

“Come here.” Kyo ordered and the alpha walked over. “I want you to patrol the woods around the house.”

“Do you think we’re in danger?”

“I can’t say. Kaoru and I are going to do some investigating in town. For now, stay alert.”

“Will do.” Ryoga said changing into his wolf form and took off into the woods.

~~~

            Kyo and Kaoru walked out of the bank slipping their new debit cards in their wallets. They had to open a bank account in order to get accounts with the Electric and Water Company. Which were the next things on their list to do. They went to both companies, set up appointments to turn everything on. They would both be turned on sometime that evening or at the latest in the morning. The two alphas had scouted the town checking to see if there were any wolves there, but they only found a few harmless strays.

            Kyo turned down a familiar road and Kaoru’s eyes widen as they approached a rundown building. The glass panes had been broken, the tables and chairs inside were mostly broken and tossed around. The walls and floor were filthy, and the name that was once on the top of the roof had fallen away. Kyo pushed the broken glass door open and walked inside. They inspected the room to find most of the equipment stolen or broken. Kyo let out a deep sigh, but Kaoru patted his back.

“We should have enough to fix this place up again.” Kaoru said.

Kyo nodded. “Let’s get the house repaired first, then we’ll get this place running again.”

“Yeah, speaking of which. Let’s find a hardware store and get some stuff to patch up the roof.”

“Right, shouldn’t be too hard to find one.” Kyo mumbled scratching his head.

~~~

            Aoi was going through the rooms helping clean the beds off, dusting, airing out the rooms, and so on. It wasn’t too long before he made it to the room where Kaoru had gone into earlier. It was lighter inside now that someone removed the planks from the window. Aoi started removing the sheets covering the dresser, bookshelf, vanity, and nightstands. Aoi’s eyes widen when he had pulled the sheet off the second nightstand. Sitting on it was small lamp, an alarm clock that probably didn’t work anymore, and a black frame with a photo inside.

            The photo was of Kaoru standing in front of the house with a pretty woman with long black hair. She had black eyes and a narrow face and she wore a blue dress that showed her very pregnant stomach. A young boy probably no older than seven was hugging Kaoru’s leg, as a girl who looked about ten with curly brown hair was hugging the woman. Kaoru was holding another girl, who looked about two, in his right arm. They all had the biggest smiles on their faces.

            Aoi rubbed his fingers on the woman’s face then he looked over at the mirror on the vanity. His eyes widen seeing the similarities between himself and the woman. He glared at his own reflection and stood up. He grabbed at his hair, which has grown back down to his shoulders, and whispered.

“I’m…not a replacement.”

~~~

            The sun was setting when Kaoru and Kyo returned to the house. The windows were all plank free, and the ones that were broken had tarps over them. They made it up the steps and walked inside the house to find the house cooler than before. Reita was still sleeping in the living room, so they were quiet as they slipped past him and into the kitchen where they found the lights on and Kai cooking at the stove. Shinya was helping at the counter, chopping up ingredients for the alpha. He turned when he smelt his mate.

“Where’s Aoi?” Kaoru asked before Shinya could greet them. The beta frowned for a second.

“I figured you’d asked. He was acting a little weird when he came down earlier. He grabbed some scissors and went back upstairs.” Shinya said. “I tried to follow him, but he wanted to be alone.”

            Kaoru didn’t need to hear anymore before he headed upstairs. He sniffed the air and followed his mate’s scent to his bedroom door. He opened it up and saw Aoi sitting on the bed facing away from him. Not only that, but his hair has been chopped off.

“Aoi? What’s going on?” Kaoru asked as he walked closer. “What did you do to your hair?”

Aoi didn’t respond as Kaoru moved around and he gasped. On the floor were the scissors and pieces of the omega’s hair. Aoi was holding Kaoru’s family photo, and tears were running down his cheeks. Aoi looked up with a teary glare.

“I’m not her.”

Kaoru sat next to Aoi and took the photo from him. “I know. I never thought you were. Misaki was my wife, my mate, and she is dead. You’re Aoi, my new bonded mate, and you’re alive. It’s still painful to think about my past and her because I still love her, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. She was my past, but you’re my present _and_ my future.”

“I don’t want to be a replacement.” Aoi sniffled.

Kaoru lifted Aoi’s chin and grabbed the omega’s hand to place it on his chest. “You’re not a replacement. You’re very different from her. Trust me, when I saw you, I didn’t see Misaki, I saw a young man needing help and a warmth in my heart formed. Thanks to you, I started smiling again and I remembered what it felt like to love and be loved.”

            Aoi sniffled, leaning his head on Kaoru’s shoulder. The alpha slipped his fingers through Aoi’s shortened hair as they both looked at the photo. Aoi sniffled and rubbed his finger on the woman’s face again. “Tell me about her.”

“Misaki? Oh she was kind, brave, hardheaded, outspoken and she refused to quit until she won even if it was a board game. She was a good mother, and an even better protector. She was an omega who could have been mistaken for an alpha.”

Aoi rubbed Kaoru’s cheek. “You smile when you talk about her”

“Yeah, I smile when I talk about you too.”

Aoi’s face burned a little. “And the children? They’re yours?”

“Yeah. The oldest daughter Ryoko, my son Yuichi, and my youngest daughter Sayuri. Misaki was seven months pregnant in this photo.”

Aoi looked at his mate closely. Kaoru was smiling, but there was something about his eye that made him seem sad. “Kaoru, what happened to them?”

Kaoru closed his eyes, wetness forming around his lids. “I couldn’t protect them.”

“Kaoru?”

            “It’s a long a story.” Kyo said walking into the room. Aoi turned and spotted the alpha along with Shinya walking in. Shinya grabbed his own arm, refusing to meet Aoi’s eyes.

“It was my fault.” The beta said quietly.

“No.” Kaoru stated sharply. “It wasn’t and you know it.”

“What happened?” Aoi asked once more.

“They were killed,” Kaoru finally said. “Along with the rest of my pack.”

“Kaoru, Shinya and I were the only survivors.” Kyo said. Shinya whimpered a bit, still holding himself.

“There was a time,” Shinya started, “when I was in a different pack and I was Kaoru’s enemy.”


	39. Their Past Part 1

            Kyo placed the last of the dishes on the rack to dry before grabbing the full garbage bag. He tied it off and pulled it out of the can, then grabbed the second bag by the door and went outside. He quickly threw the trash out then walked back inside to gather his things, lock up, and head out. He walked into the break room to grab his jacket and keys, then into the bathroom to wash his hands. Kyo stared at his reflection and ran his fingers through his short blonde hair all while tonguing his lip ring.

            He straightened out the black overalls he was wearing before pulling on his black jacket. He grabbed his keys from off the sink and headed out to the dark restaurant where he exited the establishment and locked up the front door. Kyo caught a whiff of cherry blossoms and turned to see a thin man with short light brown hair standing behind him. Kyo let out a low growl and the man flinched taking a step back.

“You’re trespassing.” Kyo growled.

The man whimpered and looked down, but three bigger men appeared surrounding Kyo. The oldest one smirked. “Shinya, stay out of our way like a good little puppy.”

Shinya stepped back with his head down. Kyo let out a low growl as the three changed into large light brown wolves. Kyo quickly changed into his black furred form stepping back until his hind leg hit the wall of the building. Shinya whimpered as Kyo glared right at him.

~~~

            Kaoru wagged his grey and white tail as he waited patiently. His ear twitched at the sound of the light growling behind him. A small puppy ran out from behind a tree and jumped on his back. He let out a fake whimper when she bit his back. He fell down and rolled on his back as the puppy jumped off then back on his chest. He changed into his human form and hugged the pup as she changed back into her nine year old human self. They both laughed as Kaoru started tickling her.

“Dad! Stop it!” She laughed. Kaoru started laughing with her, but the faint scent of blood caught his attention. He hummed and stopped tickling his daughter. “Dad?”

“Get inside, Ryoko.” Kaoru ordered and stood up, helping his daughter to her feet. Members of his pack, who had been lounging around in their wolf forms, perked up at the smell as well and some stood up to investigate. Ryoko let out a small whimper as she started towards the house when they heard a grunt. They all looked towards the bushes as Kyo stumbled through. His jacket was gone, his overalls were ripped up to where they were barely covering his body. His head, arms, right side and legs were bleeding from scratches and bites marks. He grunted falling forward.

“Kyo!” Kaoru shouted as his friend hit the ground. He and others of his pack ran forward to help the blonde.

~~~

            Kyo groaned as he slowly woke up in his bed. He sat up and rubbed his head finding bandages wrapped around it. He took a quick look at himself to find himself covered in the white dressings. He struggled to his feet and stumbled out to the hallway.

“Uncle Kyo.” A young boy from the end of the hallway called. He ran up to the alpha and hugged his leg.

“Hey, Yuichi. Where’s your dad?” Kyo asked, patting the boy’s black hair.

“He’s in the living room with everyone. They’re talking about the bad guys who hurt you.” Yuichi looked up at him with watery eyes. “Daddy’s going to make them pay for hurting you.”

Kyo smirked. “Yeah, we’re going to get them back for this. Don’t worry.”

            Kyo made his way into the living room where Subaru quickly stood from his spot on the couch. Kyo nodded in thanks as he sat down on the soft cushion. Kaoru was sitting in the lazy boy across the couch as the alphas were sitting and standing around the room. Misaki; who’s Kaoru’s mate and one of only three omegas, was standing by Kaoru’s side.

“Glad to see you’re moving around.” Kaoru said.

“Do you need anything?” Misaki asked. “Water, food?”

“No, I’m alright for now.”

“Kyo,” Kaoru caught his attention once more. “Tell us what happened.”

The alpha nodded. “They got me leaving the restaurant. I was ganged up on by four of Gin’s wolves, well more like three of them. I managed to give them some serious wounds, but I could only do so much. I ended up making a run for it.”

“That must taste like vinegar to admit.” Hizumi smirked, but earned a glare from the other alpha.

“I’d like to see you take on three alpha wolves all by yourself.”

“Yeah? Probably do a better job than you. I would have at least killed one.”

“You’d get yourself killed first.” Kyo snapped.

“As if I’d died before beating the shit out of you, shorty!” Hizumi growled back.

“Oh, you’re going to pay for that one.”

“Enough you two.” Kaoru snapped. “You can settle you rivalry later. Gin will not get away with invading my territory and attacking my pack.”

“Are we going to attack him?” Mao asked.

“We’ll start a war if we do.” Misaki said. “I hope you realize that.”

“I do.” Kaoru said. “Tatsurou, Asagi, and Tsukasa will start scouting the city. I want to know where they’re located. Everyone else is to travel in groups for now. If you’re attacked, kill them, but don’t give your life in doing so. Sometimes it’s better to run and regroup. You’re dismissed.”

“Kaoru,” Misaki said as the pack started to disperse. “I have something important to tell you.”

“What is it?” Kaoru asked pulling his mate onto his lap.

She smiled bringing his hand to her stomach. “You have another child on the way.”

Kaoru smiled brightly. “Well there’s some good news today after all.”

~~~

            The pack traveled in groups the next week to avoid further conflict which seemed to be working for now. Most of the pack was at the restaurant working while the others were back home guarding the children and Misaki. Kyo was helping around the kitchen when the trash needed to be taken out again. Subaru and Tomoya were busy helping on the floor with cleaning up tables so Kyo volunteered to take it out.

            He slipped out with the bags and tossed them, but when he was walking back in he caught the familiar smell of cherry blossoms. He let out a low growl as he turned to face the thin man in the alley.

“You.” Kyo growled. Before Shinya could react, Kyo had him by the throat and was slamming him into the wall. “I’m going to crush your neck.”

“W-ait” Shinya choked. He pulled a small bottle from his pants pocket.

“What is that?” Kyo asked loosening his grip enough for the wolf to speak

“Just some medicine. I-I’m a doctor, or well training as one. I wanted to give it to you sooner, but you were always with someone.”

“Why are you giving it to me in the first place?”

“I’m sorry.” Shinya whimpered. “I didn’t mean for my brothers to attack you. I just…I wanted to meet you, but they followed me and…well you know the rest. If you rub this on your wounds, it’ll help prevent infection.”

            Kyo pulled his hand away and Shinya was able to breathe properly. He leaned heavily on the wall as Kyo took the bottle and slipped it into his own pocket. He turned to head back inside but the wolf spoke up.

“I-I’m Shinya. Your name … is Kyo right? I heard your pack calling you that.”

Kyo stopped. “Yeah. You should leave before they smell you and hunt you down.”

“Um…can we meet up, for real? I want to talk to you.”

“No.” Kyo growled. “You’re lucky I don’t rip your throat out right now. Get out of my sight.”

Shinya whimpered, but nodded and ran off.

~~~

            Shinya sauntered into the old abandoned building where his pack currently lived. As he walked in, a hand grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed it. Shinya whimpered as he was forced forward deeper into the building.

“B-brother.” Shinya gasped as the alpha dragged him in.

“Hmph. Dad’s not happy with. In fact none of us are.” The older man said pushing Shinya forward where he fell onto his knees. He looked up to see glaring eyes all around him. His father, the pack leader, stepped forward growling.

“What do you think you were doing? Following that wolf, giving him our medicine.” Gin growled. Shinya gasped as his eyes widen. “What, did you really think I’d let you go out on your own without someone following you? You’re a disgrace. If I see you around that pack and you’re not fighting them, I will end you myself.”

Shinya dropped his head. “Yes, father.”

~~~

            Kyo was laying on his bed looking at the bottle in his hand now only half filled with a white lotion substance. He used some of it already and it made some of the pain go away as well. He brought the medicine to his nose and was able faintly smell cherry blossoms. His heart pounded for a second and warmth filled his chest. He placed his hand over his heart surprised at the feeling.

“Shinya, huh? Interesting.” He hummed

A knock on his door caught his attention and he sat up as Kaoru walked in. Kyo was quick to hide the medicine under his blanket before the pack leader noticed.

“Hey, is everything okay? You’ve been acting weird since you’ve been home.” Kaoru said.

Kyo dropped back onto his bed. “Everything is fine. Stop being such a worry wart.”

“Right.” Kaoru hummed and started walking away. “By the way, I’m surprised you didn’t kill that wolf. Him being one of the ones who attacked you.”

“As if that wimp would have been able to hurt— wait…how did you know?”

Kaoru smiled tapping his nose. “You’re not the only one with a good nose around here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone actually get you… absentminded.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kyo mumbled rolling on his side.

“Sure you don’t.” Kaoru said with a smile, but it dropped into a frown. “Kyo, he’s our enemy and one of the guys who attacked you. Whether or not he actually fought you, he was there and he didn’t stop it. The next time you meet, I expect you to kill him.”

“I wouldn’t worry about a weakling like him.” Kyo said and Kaoru let out a growl baring his fangs.

“You will kill any wolf from that pack! Is that understood?”

Kyo slowly sat up, growling low in his chest. “Since when are you scared of a beta?

“Since when do you defy my orders?” They two sat glaring at one another until Kaoru sighed. “Do what you’re told.”

With that Kaoru left the room and Kyo kissed his teeth, falling back onto his bed. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”

~~~

            Misaki was watching as Tsuguri and Mao rolled around fighting each other in front of the house. Ryoko and Yuichi were mimicking the two alphas as they practiced fighting each other. The two alphas occasionally stopped to watch or show the pups something new. Misaki sighed rubbing her stomach. As soon as she said she was pregnant, Kaoru ordered the two alphas to be around her and her children at all times. This also restricted what she was able to do and she was not happy about this, but it was what her mate had ordered and what she must obey. Even if the whole pack was home, Mao and Tsuguri were to stay by her side at all times.

            Sayuri, her youngest, let out a loud yawn. The one year old had been playing with her toys beside Misaki on the porch, and it seemed like she had gone and tired herself out. Misaki smiled as she picked the toddler up and stood up. Misaki and Tsuguri were at each other again as Yuichi chased Ryoko around.

“I’ll be right back. I’m putting Sayuri down to sleep.” She announced walking inside.

            Misaki started humming to Sayuri as she walked up the stairs inside the house where she met her mate walking down. Kaoru smiled as he placed a kiss on her head.

“Is it her bedtime already?” Kaoru asked and Misaki nodded. The alpha walked with his mate to their bedroom. Sayuri still slept in the same room as them mainly because there wasn’t an available room for her to be in. Some of the pack had to share rooms and even then four of the alphas had to sleep outside or in the living room because there wasn’t enough space. Kaoru had been thinking for a while to move to some place bigger, but he hadn’t found anything in or around the city.

            Kaoru watched as Misaki sat their sleeping daughter in her basinet and the two quietly left the room, closing the door behind them. Kaoru took his mate’s hand and they walked back down the stairs. When they made it to the living room, Kaoru stopped and pulled Misaki into a hug before gently kissing her lips. She smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. They had enjoy these short moments while they could because they didn’t last long.

            Misaki pulled away with a smile and walked back outside with Kaoru following close behind. Misaki’s smile dropped though when she didn’t see her children playing anymore. In fact she didn’t see them at all, only the two alphas still snapping at each other. She glanced around to be sure she didn’t miss them, but they weren’t there. She let out a growl and stormed up to the two alphas.

“Mao, Tsuguri!” She snapped catching the two alpha’s attention. “Where. Are. My. Children?”

The two wolves looked around and Mao spoke. “They were just here.”

“You lost them!” Misaki growled and grabbed the scruff of Mao’s neck. “You couldn’t watch them for the two minutes that I was gone?”

A low growl caught all their attention. They looked back at Kaoru, who was glaring, his teeth sharpened and his hair was standing. “Find. Them. _Now!”_

            The two alphas whimpered and took off to hunt the two children down. Misaki started sniff the air and running behind them, but Kaoru grabbed her arm to stop her.

“What are you doing?” She snapped.

“Stay here. We’ll find them.”

“Kaoru, let go of my arm now.” She growled. “I’m looking for my pups and you are not going to stop me. _You_ put those idiots in charge of us and _they_ managed to lose sight of our children the second I left. I am _not_ going to put them in charge of finding them as well. _You_ are supposed to be looking after them anyways not two idiots, _you_. You’re going out to look and _I’m going to look, too! Is that clear?”_

Kaoru swallowed hard, his anger replaced with a slight fear of his mate. “Y-yes dear.”

“Good.” She snapped before marching off into the woods with him in tow. “You of all people should know better than to get in the middle of a mother her pups.”

“Yes dear.” Kaoru said once more.

“I want Kyo looking after them from now on.”

“Kyo?” Kaoru asked, but before either could say anymore they heard Ryoko scream.

            The two started running through the trees, picking up their children’s scent. Fear filled both of their bodies as they ran as fast as possible until they spotted Ryoko running towards them in her wolf form.

“Ryoko!” Misaki shouted.

“Mommy!” Ryoko cried changing into her human form and she ran straight for her mother. “ _Mommy, Yuichi’s stuck! I couldn’t get him out!”_

“Where is he?” Kaoru asked.

 _“That way.”_ Ryoko pointed from where she came from. _“We fell down a hill and Yuichi fell into log and his leg got caught underneath it. I couldn’t get him out.”_

“It’s okay, I’ll get him out.” Kaoru said. “Misaki, take her back.”

“But—”

“I’ll get our son.” Kaoru said. “Get her home to the pack. Now.”

Misaki gave in picking her daughter up and she started back towards the house.

            Kaoru changed and took off into the woods sniffing for his son. It wasn’t too long before he could hear the young boy crying. He followed the sound Yuichi’s cries until he reached the steep hill Ryoko was talking about and he spotted Yuchi at the bottom, in his small wolf form pinned under a fallen tree. He was whimpering out as he struggled to get free from it. Kaoru let out a bark to catch Yuichi’s attention before he started down the hill. To him, the hill was nothing, but for his small pups it was a different story. Kaoru made it to the bottom with easy before he changed forms. He patted Yuichi’s head.

“I’m going to lift this and I want you pull yourself out okay?”

The pup nodded and Kaoru smiled. He gripped the bottom of the tree and bent his knees down. He counted down before he lifted, but the tree barely moved. Yuichi struggled some more and it was enough to get his leg free. When Yuichi slipped out, Kaoru let go and took a deep breath.

            Kaoru had carried Yuichi up the hill and was now walking towards the house. He was halfway there when Kyo came running through some trees in his wolf form. Both Kaoru and Kyo were startled and Kyo slipped as he tried to stop and Kaoru jumped back. Kyo jumped to his feet and shook his body before changing.

“Kyo, what are you doing?”

“Misaki asked me to come help you, but it looks like you got everything handled.”

Kaoru nodded. “Thank you for coming. Misaki gets too worried sometimes.”

“Can you blame her? She is a mother.”

“I know. You’re right.”

            The two were soon back home and Yuichi was in his mother’s arms being kissed and coddled before he was able to go play with his sister again. This time with their parents watching over them. Kaoru waited until Kyo went back inside before continuing their discussion.

“Why do you want Kyo to look after them and you?”

“Because,” She said simple. “I trust him. The two of you have been together since you were born, and you’ve always had each other’s backs. When we decided to start our own pack, Kyo didn’t hesitate to follow you. Plus, Yuichi really looks up to him as much as he does you.”

“Kyo is irresponsible. As true as all that is, I just can’t give him the responsibility of protecting my children.”

“You mean you don’t trust him.” Misaki said.

“That’s not what I said.”

“But you’re implying it. Why? He’s your best friend.”

“He doesn’t know what it’s like to have a family. The only reason he followed me was because our pack didn’t want him. His parents abandoned him when we were kids and he was the orphan of the pack that they had to take care of. He didn’t have siblings or anybody except me. He takes unneeded risks and endangers himself all the time.

            “What happened at the restaurant could have been avoided. He knew that wolf had been following him for weeks. Kyo knew that if he were alone that wolf would approach him, so he decided to close the restaurant by himself. Instead, he was ganged up on and almost killed. I won’t let his actions endanger my pups. Our close friendship is the only reason he’s allowed to stay in this pack.”

“I think you’re wrong about him.” Misaki said. “I think he would do great looking after Yuichi and Ryoko.”

“No.” Kaoru said. “I’ll have Zero and Hizumi take over. That’s final.”

Misaki nodded, not wanting to anger her mate with an argument she wouldn’t win. “Ryoko, Yuichi it’s time to go in.”

“Aw mom!” They whined.

“Hush now. Get inside and cleaned up.” She ordered. Kaoru and Misaki watched as the two ran up the porch and inside the house. Misaki led the way in, but froze in her spot and Kaoru looked forward to see Kyo standing there, glaring at them. He pushed passed them without a word.

“Where are you going?” Kaoru asked.

Kyo glared back at him. “To go ‘endanger’ myself I guess.”

“Shit.” Kaoru muttered to himself. “Kyo—”

“Fuck off.” The alpha snapped before changing into his wolf form and running to the front gate.

“I guess it’s an understatement that he heard everything.” Misaki said. “You should go apologize to him.”

“I’ll let him cool off first.” Kaoru said. “If I don’t we’ll just end up fighting.”

~~~

            Kyo was walking around the city not really sure what he was going to do or go, but he did know he didn’t want to at home. Kaoru seriously pissed him off. He knew he shouldn’t have ease dropped, but he wanted look after the pups through the window. It wasn’t his intention to listen to Kaoru and Misaki’s conversation, but he did and he was hurt that his only friend didn’t trust him.

‘Whatever’ He thought to himself. ‘Nobody ever trusted me anyways. Kaoru’s no different I guess.’

While he was lost in his own thoughts, he managed to walk to the restaurant probably more out of habit than actually wanting to go there. Once he realized where he was, he figured he’d sleep there that night. He walked around to the alley to go in the back when he heard rustling near the trashcan. He caught a whiff of cherry blossoms and he started to growl. The sound caught the attention of the grey wolf digging through the trash.

            Kyo didn’t hesitate to charge in to attack and Shinya whimpered as he dropped his ears and his tail went between his legs. As Kyo approached closer, Shinya dropped and rolled onto his back. Kyo quick jumped on top of him baring his fangs and growling. Shinya whimpered out and gave Kyo’s snout a quick lick. Kyo stopped growling and slowly pulled off to change back.

“What they hell are you doing?” He snapped and Shinya changed back as well.

“I uh…I was just…”

“Why aren’t you fighting back?” Kyo growled.

“I don’t want to fight you.” Shinya whispered.

“Yeah? Well I’ve been ordered to kill you next time I saw you.”

“Oh.” Shinya said softly.

“’Oh?’ Is that all you can say? I just told you I was going to kill you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t believe you.” Shinya said standing up. He smiled softly. “I think… you’re actually really kind beneath all that anger.”

Kyo grabbed Shinya by the neck and slammed into the wall, growling at him. “How is this kind?”

Shinya brought his hands up to Kyo’s own, and rubbed them. “You could have killed me at any moment so far and yet I’m still able to breath under your grasp.”

Kyo sighed, letting the wolf go. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted—”

“To see me?” Kyo interrupted.

“Actually, I was hungry. I’ve been looking for food and I ended up here.” Shinya said with a smile and he grabbed Kyo’s hand. “And I wanted to see you.”

Kyo nodded and pulled his hand out of Shinya’s grip as he turned away. “Come on, I’m hungry too. I’ll cook us something.”


	40. Their Past Part 2

            Shinya was sitting patiently at one of the tables in the restaurant as Kyo was in the back cooking. Shinya was a little uneasy about being in the dark empty restaurant with a dim light shining from the kitchen, but he wasn’t going to complain. It wasn’t too much longer before Kyo was walking in with two bowls. He sat them down on the table and went back to grab some water for them. Once he was back he sat across from Shinya who was waiting with a smile.

“I don’t usually do the cooking, so you better not complain.” Kyo snapped taking the first bite.

“Thank you.” Shinya said happily before picking up his chopsticks and digging in to the steak gyudon. Kyo watched as Shinya wolfed his food down. He was only about halfway done when Shinya finished his bowl, eating every last bit of rice too.

“So what made you join Gin’s pack?” Kyo asked taking another bite.

“Gin’s my father.” Shinya said and Kyo choked on his food.

“Are you okay?” Shinya gasped seeing Kyo punch his own chest until he was able to swallow the food in his throat.

“Gin’s your father?” The alpha snapped.

“Well, biologically yes. But he’s not much of a father, at least not to me.”

“Oh, why is that?” Kyo asked through gritted teeth, trying keep his anger down.

            “Because, I’m a beta.” Shinya said looking down. “My pack…my father only wants alphas in his pack. Even my mother is an alpha, my brothers too. I turned out to be a beta, the disgrace of the family. At first he blamed my mother, but then he just started saying it was because I was weak before I even came out of the womb. I was better than an omega at least.”

“Sounds like a real asshole.”

“He’s worse than that.” Shinya whispered. “I was told to fight you next time I saw you, but I can’t do it.”

“Why not?”

“Because, whenever I look at you or when I’m near you…I feel warm. Even with your hands cutting off my air I felt safer with you than with my own pack. Just a while ago when you threatened to kill me, I wasn’t scared.”

Kyo nodded before reaching over and placing his hand on Shinya’s chest. “You feel warm here? Right now?”

Shinya’s cheeks burned feeling Kyo’s hand. “Y-yes.”

“I…do too.” Kyo finally admitted. He pulled his hand away and pushed the rest of his food forward. “Eat the rest of it.”

“But—”

“You’re hungry. Eat.” Shinya obeyed the order and took the bowl from the alpha. Kyo stood up, taking Shinya’s empty bowl. “I’m going to clean up. Just bring that to the kitchen when you’re finished.”

            Kyo was lost in thought the whole time he was in the kitchen. He cleaned up the pots and pans he used along with everything else. He sat the last dish in the drying rack when Shinya walked in with his bowl and the two glasses they were drinking out of. He brought them to Kyo who put them in sink full of water. Shinya stepped back and watched as Kyo cleaned up the dishes.

“Thank you for the food.” Shinya whispered.

“No problem.” Kyo said, but stopped washing the pan in his hand. “You do know our packs are going to war right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“That means whatever is starting between us needs to end now. Or else it’ll cause problems.”

“I guess. It was a nice thought though.” Shinya said. “Thank you for giving me a moment of happiness.”

Something tore at Kyo’s heart and he turned to face Shinya. He walked forward until they were inches from each other. The alpha grabbed Shinya’s neck and forced him down. Before the beta could react, their lips were pressed together. Kyo took control of the kiss and Shinya moaned into it. It fast, rough, and wet. Before Shinya could comprehend anything, Kyo pulled away with a watery glare.

“Next time… I will have to kill you.”

Shinya nodded and smiled. “I understand.” Shinya lifted his hands to take a silver bracelet off his wrist. He grabbed Kyo’s arm and clasped the bracelet on his wrist before leaning over to kiss the alpha’s forehead. “Goodbye.”

Kyo watched as the beta walked out the door and he dropped to the floor. He slid up against the cabinets and dropped his head. “Fuck everything.”

~~~

            Shinya was able to hold his tears back long enough to get out of the restaurant. However once he was away from Kyo, tears just rolled down his cheeks no matter how much he wiped them away. He made his way towards his home when he picked up a familiar scent and his hair stood on the back of his neck. He turned to find his eldest brother behind him. The man had his brown hair tied up and he was wearing a jogging outfit for some reason.

“Ran…”

“Just what were you doing with that wolf?” He growled.

“N-nothing.” Shinya whimpered.

“Lies.” Ran snapped and grabbed Shinya by the hair. He started dragging his younger brother. “We’ll see what father has to say about your little ‘meeting’”.

“Please Ran, don’t tell father.” Shinya cried.

“Beg all you want, but I would save my energy if I were you.”

~~~

            Kaoru was up early the next morning, his head full of thoughts that he couldn’t quiet down. He wasn’t surprised to find Kyo hadn’t come back home, but he knew his friend would be home eventually. Then they would talk. At least he hoped they would. Know Kyo, he’d probably ignore Kaoru for weeks before speaking to him again.

“He can be such a child sometimes.” Kaoru muttered to himself. He woke up the rest of the pack and they all got ready for the day. Kaoru decided to head out ahead of them hoping he’d run into Kyo on the way to the restaurant. He already told Zero and Hizumi they were to stay from now on so he wasn’t too worried about leaving his mate and pups.

            It only took Kaoru thirty minutes to get to the restaurant today and he was shocked to see the back door unlocked. He rushed in worried to find the place had been robbed or trashed, but instead he found Kyo sleeping on his side in the middle of the kitchen floor. Relief filled Kaoru’s body not only for the fact that the place was okay, but that his friend was safe. Kaoru walked closer noticing the dishes on the drying rack. There were some pans, two cups, two bowls, and two sets of chopsticks.

‘He had a guest?’ Kaoru thought. He knelt down to shake Kyo on the shoulder. The alpha groaned swatting at whoever was bothering him. Kaoru grabbed Kyo’s hand, spotting the silver bracelet, and he sniffed at. His eyes widen as Kyo pulled his arm away and sat up groaning.

“Man can’t you let me sleep, shit.” Kyo grumbled.

“You let him in here?” Kaoru growled, but Kyo only glared at him.

“So what?”

“It’s one thing to cause trouble outside of work and outside of the pack, but it’s another to bring an enemy into our domain.”

“Shinya was hungry so I fed him.”

“Shinya. The wolf has a name now.”

“Yeah, just like the rest of us.” Kyo snapped standing up.

Kaoru sighed. “I don’t know what your infatuation is with that wolf, but you need to end it.”

“I already have.” Kyo mumbled looking down. The alpha turned away. “I guess you being here means we need to get the restaurant ready to open.”

“Kyo…”

“I’m done talking about it.” Kyo said. “There’s nothing more to say anyways.”

Kaoru took a steady breath trying not to yell at the other wolf. He followed Kyo to the back to get ready for work for that day. They had a lot to discuss, but it would have to wait until later. The rest of the pack would be here soon and they didn’t need to be fighting.

~~~

            Shinya woke up to blurred vision and had to blink to get his sight back to normal. He slowly sat up hissing at the pain that racked his body. He felt the sting of his busted lip and the dried blood from his nose was crusted above his lip. The bruises on his stomach and arm hurt the most. His father did a real number on him, but at least he didn’t have any broken bones this time. His father wasn’t exactly happy about him seeing Kyo, but thankfully he had other matters to attend to that were more important than punishing Shinya.

            The beta took some extra time that morning to get cleaned up and ready for the day. Seeing himself in the mirror he was able to see the damage to his face. He had a bruise on his cheek and his left eye had darkened slightly, and his chest also had a bruise on it although it didn’t really hurt that much. He smiled at the mirror though. The memory of him and Kyo eating together was worth the bruises.

~~~

            The day at the restaurant had been busy like any other, so the pack was happy for it to finally be closing down so they could go home. As soon as they locked up, Kaoru had changed forms and started running home. He mentioned earlier that day that something was off with Misaki, he just didn’t know what it was. It was worrying him. The pack followed suit though, changing and running with him all except Kyo. He took his time heading home.

            When Kaoru did make it back, he ran inside to find Zero and Hizumi entertaining Ryoko and Sayuri. They all looked at the pack leader when he walked in.

“Dad!” Ryoko shouted happily as she ran up to hug him. He hugged her back and patted her head before seeing the other two alpha’s frowning.

“What is it?”

“Yuichi is sick.” Hizumi said. “Misaki told us to keep these two down here in case it was contagious.”

Kaoru nodded before heading down the hall and up the stairs to his son’s bedroom. When he entered he saw Misaki laying on the bed, with her back propped against the wall and Yuichi sleeping soundly next to her. Kaoru was quiet as he made his way to the bed.

“How is he?” The pack leader whispered.

“His fever has gotten worse since this morning. I gave him medicine, but I don’t know what’s wrong with him. We might need to find a hospital.”

“They don’t know how to treat wolves.” Kaoru said. “At least not our kind.”

“What do we do then?” Misaki asked. “If it continues to get worse…Kaoru I don’t want to think about it, but what if?”

Kaoru closed his eyes. “Yuichi is going to be fine. He’s our son. He’s strong enough to fight a fever.”

That didn’t stop the tears from rolling down Misaki’s cheeks as she continued to look over her son. Kaoru sat down next to the bed and started rubbing Yuchi’s feverish head. The young boy was breathing heavily sleeping uneasily.

            Kyo was the last one to make it back and he automatically sensed something was wrong. Seeing Ryoko playing with her sister, but not her brother gave Kyo the hint he needed to go upstairs to the young boy’s room. He was quiet as he entered the room and he saw the heartbreaking scene. Kaoru hunched over Yuichi’s bed and Misaki sniffling as she rubbed the young boy’s head.

“What’s wrong with him?” Kyo finally asked.

“He’s sick.” Kaoru snapped. He looked over his shoulder with watery eyes. “Can’t you tell?”

“Kaoru, not now.” Misaki said sternly. She looked up at Kyo. “He won’t wake up. He did earlier, but now…he just won’t wake up.”

Kyo moved closer fear filling his chest, but he noticed the young boy gasping for air and was a little relieved. “He needs medicine.”

“We know that.” Kaoru snapped. “We gave him medicine.”

“I’m just trying to help.”

“Well you’re not, so get out!” Kaoru growled.

Kyo flinched from the order, but glared back. “Fine.”

            Kyo walked out of the room, down the stairs, and to the front door. The pack noticed him leaving and Hizumi spoke up.

“Where are you going?”

“Kaoru doesn’t want me here anymore.” Kyo said simply before stepping out of the house and changing forms. He took off without another sound leaving more than half the pack in shock.

~~~

            Kyo had made his way into the city before changing back into his human form and walking around. He sulked as he walked around in the darkened city wondering what the hell he was even doing out there. He shouldn’t have left like he did, but he was just so pissed off at everything right now and the moment he tried to help he got yelled at. Why the hell would he want to stay around there? Around Kaoru?

            Kyo stopped and looked up at the sky. He knew why. It was because Kaoru was the only one to ever be a friend to him. He was the only kind constant in his life. His only family. Kyo sighed, deciding he should probably go back and apologize before their friendship suffers any more than it already has.

            As he was walking towards his home he spotted a familiar figure. Shinya was zoned out walking down the sidewalk. As he got closer, he must have realized Kyo was there because he suddenly stopped and looked up. They stood there staring at each other for a moment until Shinya smiled.

“Aren’t you going to kill me?”

“What happened to your face?” Kyo asked

Shinya rubbed his sore cheek. “Yeah … my dad found out you fed me last night and wasn’t too happy about it.”

“He did this to you?”

“It’s not the first time, besides I can take care of myself. I’m a doctor remember?” Shinya said with a big smile.

“Doctor…that’s right you’re a doctor!” Kyo said loudly and grabbed Shinya’s hand. “You can help him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Kaoru’s son is sick. You can get medicine for him right?”

“Well I guess. What does he have a cold, the flu—”

“I don’t know. We don’t know what’s wrong with him.” Kyo admitted.

“Kyo,” Shinya said softly. “I can’t just give you medicine without knowing what’s wrong with him. It can make him worse. I’ll have to see him to know what to give him.”

“No, you can’t come to our home. They’ll kill you and me.” Kyo sighed.

“We should at least try. If it means helping his son, then Kaoru will forgive you.”

“They won’t be so nice to you.” Kyo said.

“I’m a doctor and that means I’ll do anything for someone who needs help.”

~~~

            Kyo held Shinya’s hand as he led the way through the main gate of the house. He could feel Shinya shaking behind him as they approached the house. Kyo stopped when he heard growling and a few of the pack alphas stood from porch and approached him.

“What the hell Kyo?” Hizumi growled. “Bringing that filth here.”

Kyo growled back. “Shut your mouth Hizumi. He’s here to help.”

“Like hell.” Hizumi growled. “Aki, go get Kaoru.”

The brown wolf nodded before taking off into the house. The commotion caused the rest of the pack to come outside to investigate. Kyo quickly backed into Shinya, making sure to keep himself between the beta and his pack.

“Shinya’s a doctor. He can help Yuichi.”

“You brought an enemy wolf to our home. He may help Yuichi, but he’ll return to his pack and tell them everything about us.” Mao growled.

“We’ll kill him before he even steps into our home.” Tsukasa snapped. “How could you betray us Kyo?”

“You want to die don’t you?” Hizumi snapped.

“What the hell?” Kaoru growled walking out of the house with close behind. “Kyo, what have you done?”

“Shinya can help your son!” Kyo snapped.

“That wolf isn’t coming anywhere near my family.”

“He’s a doctor.”

“He’s an enemy.” Kaoru snapped. “Kyo you’ve gone too far this time.”

“I trust him.” Kyo admitted, surprising everyone. “Just like I trust you. You once trusted me…or at least I thought you did. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that.”

“I did trust you Kyo, but then you started doing stupid crap like this.” Kaoru said waving his hand at Shinya. “You bring danger not only to yourself but to everyone around you.”

“Shinya isn’t a danger to us. He wouldn’t hurt us.”

“How would you know that?” Kaoru asked.

“I don’t know, but I can feel it in my gut.”

            Shinya patted Kyo’s shoulder before letting his hand go and stepping forward. “Kaoru,” Once he started talking the wolves around them growled out. “You don’t have to worry about me telling my father where you live. After I help your son, I’ll leave the city.”

“Yeah right, we can’t trust you.” Hizumi growled.

“I’ll leave with him.” Kyo said. “Once Yuichi is well, we’ll both leave. You won’t have to deal with me anymore Kaoru, but I don’t want Yuichi to die because of our stubbornness towards each other. Kaoru, you were the only one to show me what it was like to have a family. You were always like a brother to me and I always thought Misaki as my sister. Your children were my nieces and nephew. You are the only things that matter to me and I don’t want to lose any of you. So please trust me. Let Shinya help.”

Kaoru stood there for a moment glaring at Kyo and he was about to say something when Misaki spoke up from behind him, startling everyone. “He’s a doctor?”

They all looked her red puffy eyes. Kyo nodded. “Yes.”

“Then have him help my son.”

“Misaki.” Kaoru growled, but his mate growled back.

“Shut up Kaoru. Your son is dying and Kyo has brought a doctor. Man up, apologize to him, and take the help. If our son dies because you won’t let a harmless outsider help then I’ll rip you balls off and feed them to a pig. Shinya was it?” She asked looking at the beta and he nodded. “Get your ass up here.”

            He flinched, but moved to walk past all the growling alphas suddenly feeling dizzy from their constant pressure, but Kyo was his side snapping at the other wolves. When Shinya made it to the stairs, Misaki grabbed his shirt and slammed him into the porch post.

“You’re are going to help him and if you do one thing that makes him worse or hurt him more, I will personally kill you.”

“Y-yes ma’am.” He whimpered.

“Good.” She snapped and started walking inside pulling Shinya by his shirt. The pack just stared at Kaoru who was still in a little shock by his mate’s outburst.

“Kaoru.” Kyo said catching his attention. “I wasn’t lying about going. Once Yuichi’s better, Shinya and I are leaving the city.”

“We’ll talk about this later.” Kaoru said walking in.

“There’s no more to talk about.” Kyo said simply following his pack leader inside.

            They made it up to Yuichi’s room where Misaki was standing over Shinya as he looked over the pup’s body. The beta raised Yuichi’s shirt and placed his ear against his chest to listen before lifting the boy to listen to his back before laying him back down. Shinya checked Yuichi’s throat, then rubbed his neck to check for swelling. He hummed when he couldn’t find anything except for a fever.

“When did he get sick?” Shinya asked.

“This morning.” Misaki said keeping her tears back. “He was fine last night and suddenly he’s running a fever. He was okay earlier, I gave him some cold medicine, but then a few hours ago he wouldn’t wake up.”

“There’s no illness that hits that fast without affecting multiple people.” Shinya hummed. “And nobody else is sick right?”

“No, nobody.” Kaoru said.

“Did he get hurt recently?” Shinya asked.

“No.” Kaoru said.

“What about when he was pinned under the tree?” Misaki said.

“He didn’t complain about an injury.” Kaoru said. “I didn’t see anything wrong with him either.”

Shinya nodded. “I want to look over his body to see if he has any cuts.”

“Go ahead.” Misaki said.

            Shinya removed Yuichi’s shirt first and made sure to look closely for any signs of infection. When he didn’t see any, he took off Yuichi pajama pants next. He immediately spotted a red mark under Yuichi’s leg on his calf. Shinya lifted the boy’s leg up and a small cut that was red, swollen, and leaking puss. He waved for them to come over and he showed the small injury to them.

“That small cut did all this?” Misaki asked.

“It’s deeper than it looks.” Shinya said. “It didn’t get cleaned out so bacteria probably got in it and caused the infection. And at this rate he’ll be dead by morning. I need to get him some antibiotics.”

“Where are you going to get those?” Kaoru asked.

“We have a large stock of medicine at my home.” Shinya admitted standing up. “I’ll sneak some out. For now you need to wash this with warm water.”

“Whoa, whoa, you’re not leaving.” Kaoru said. “How do I know you won’t bring your pack back with you?”

“I’ll go with him.” Kyo said earning a glare from the pack leader.

“Kyo.” Misaki whispered. “I’m trusting you. Get my son his medicine.”

Kaoru knew there was no use arguing with Misaki, so he did the next best thing. “Hizumi and Mao are going with you.”

~~~

            Shinya took a deep breath as he looked at the three alpha’s hiding back near a closed convenience store as he walked to the abandoned house where he lived. They were far enough that the pack couldn’t smell but still close enough to see where Shinya was going. The beta wasn’t worried about them, he was worried about sneaking into his own home. He slipped to the side where he snuck out of and climbed the trellis up to the second floor window to his room. He slipped inside without a sound. He grabbed a shoulder bag and looked inside to see some spare clothes and a packaged toothbrush.

            He slung the bag on as he walked to his door and opened it, listening for any movement before moving forward down the hallway. Everyone seemed to be sleeping as he made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. He looked around the dark room, watching for moving shadows before going the door under the stair well. He carefully opened it flinching when the hinges squeaked. He waited a moment to see if anyone awoke before heading down the steps. Once at the bottom he felt around for the light switch and hit it to show the cluttered basement.

            He moved to a specific shelf covered in different medications he grabbed what he was looking for along with a handful of other stuff and slipped it all in his bag. Once he had it all he turned the light off, headed back up to the kitchen, closed the door and went up the stairs. He made it to his bedroom door when he heard something. He quickly opened his door and tossed the bag inside just before the hall light turned on blinding him. It took him a blinks to see who it was, but he knew by the smell that it was his father.

            “And where the hell were you tonight?” Gin growled.

Shinya whimpered bowing his head down. “I just needed some fresh air.”

“Some fresh air, huh?” The pack leader asked sniffing the air. “I smell…a different scent on you. Like the scent I smelt when you were messing with that wolf.”

Shinya swallowed hard. “Father it’s—”

He was caught off when Gin grabbed his hair and slammed his head into the wall. Shinya cried out and was thrown onto the ground. Soon more of the pack was walking out to see what was going on. Ran stood over Shinya, his arms crossed.

“This little traitor seems to be whoring himself to our enemy.” Gin growled. “My own son. How pathetic.”

“It’s not like that.” Shinya whimpered only to have his older brother kick him in the face. Shinya felt his nose bleeding, but that didn’t concern him too much when he felt teeth digging into his leg. He yelled out as he looked down to find his second older brother biting into his leg. Another wolf was quick to bit into his shoulder.

            His father walked slowly to Shinya’s side before kneeling down. He rubbed the blonde’s cheek before slapping him. His second brother tore at his leg, tearing part of his pants leg off. The other wolf pulled off, tearing Shinya’s shirt while he was at it. Shinya was shaking from the pain as tears pricked his eyes. His father pulled him up by his hair and pushed him into his room.

“Your punishment is just starting.”


	41. Their Past Part 3

            Kyo was leaning against the wall of the store with his eyes closed, but his foot kept tapping the ground. Hizumi kept watch of the house waiting for Shinya to appear again. Mao let out a low growl as he stood up from his spot on the ground.

“How long is he going to make us wait?” Mao snapped. “It’s been two hours now.”

“We should prepare for an ambush.” Hizumi said.

“There’s no way we can ambush a house full of wolves.” Mao said.

“Not us you idiot. I mean if Shinya told them we were here. They could be circling us right now.”

“Shinya wouldn’t do that.” Kyo finally spoke catching their attention.

“What makes you say that?”

“I just know.” Kyo said.

Hizumi rolled his eyes mocking the other alpha under his breath and turned to look back at the house. Kyo finally opened his eyes and looked up at the sky thinking to himself. Hoping he was right in trusting Shinya and convincing everyone else to do the same. He wasn’t sure what was going on with him, but he hoped he was doing the right thing.

            It seemed like forever before they spotted movement by the house. A lone figure was making his way closer to them it wasn’t until he got closer that they realized he was limping. Kyo’s eyes opened when he smelt and he knew the others did too. The smell of blood. He moved to look at the figure getting closer and a small pain went into through his heart.

“Shinya.” He gasped running out to him.

“Kyo!” Hizumi called but the alpha ignored him.

Kyo ran up to Shinya and saw his torn up clothes, and his body bloodied. “Shinya?”

The beta smiled at him before falling forward and Kyo reached to catch him as Mao and Hizumi came out to help.  “S-sorry.” Shinya whispered.

            Kyo moved down and turned Shinya over on his back. The beta was hugging a bag tightly in his arms before raising it up in the air for them. Hizumi took it and opened it up to see medicine inside and nodded. Mao helped Kyo get Shinya up to his feet and Kyo moved in front so the beta could climb his back. Shinya didn’t protest as he settled on the alpha and allowed himself to be carried as he dozed off.

~~~

            Kaoru was pacing the living room as he waited for his pack members to return wondering if he should have gone with them. Ryoko and Sayuri were asleep in his room and the pack was around the living room waiting. Some were sleeping while others were struggling to stay awake. It was already past midnight and Yuichi was only getting worse. Kaoru was lost in his thoughts when he heard feet climbing his porch. He rushed to the door in time to open it up to see his three pack members and a badly beaten Shinya on Kyo’s back. He let them in and the pack awoke from their entrance.

            Hizumi helped get Shinya off Kyo’s back and they carefully laid him on the floor. Kyo gently patted his cheeks until his eyes opened up.

“Kyo?” Shinya whispered.

“We made it back. We need to know what to give Yuichi.” Kyo said.

“My bag.” Shinya replied and Hizumi handed it over. Shinya rolled onto his stomach and dumped the bag out onto the floor, pushing the unnecessary items out of the way. He grabbed different bottles until he found the one he was looking for. His shaky hands grabbed a packaged syringe and he tore it open with his mouth. He took the cap off and pulled the plunger back before inserting the needle into the bottle. He injected the air then sucked out some of the liquid. Once it was filled, he took it out and recapped the needle before dropping his head with heavy breathes. His hand dropped to the floor and Kyo shook his shoulder. Shinya’s eyes opened up.

“Inject this…into his bicep.” With that Shinya passed out.

            Kyo took the syringe and handed it off to Kaoru who took it, but he stared warily at it. Then he glanced down at Shinya’s injuries. He gripped the syringe tightly in his grasp.

“Treat his injuries, but make sure he’s retrained. I don’t want him running off for any reason.” Kaoru ordered turning to walk away.

“Kaoru, what the hell.” Kyo snapped and his friend stopped.

“Tie Kyo up, too.”

“What?” Kyo gasped, frozen in disbelief as his arms were forced behind his back. “Kaoru?”

“Put them in the basement and lock it. I want two guards in front of it all times.” Kaoru ordered.

            Kyo didn’t fight as his so called friend walked away and he was forced to the back of the house by Hizumi. He opened the door and they both walked down the stairs to the bottom. Hizumi turned a light on and guided Kyo the far wall where the alpha was forced to sit as he was tied to the water pipes. Once done, Hizumi patted Kyo’s shoulder and walked back up to the house, leaving him all alone.

            However it wasn’t too long before Subaru and Tomoya were bringing a small mattress down the stairs. They sat it next to him and more footsteps were heard as Tsurugi and Aki carried Shinya’s body down very carefully. They brought him to the mattress and gentle placed him on it before pulling his hands over his head to tie them the water pipes as well. The two were left alone in silence. Shinya was wrapped in bandages enough to stop the bleeding, but that was about it. It didn’t seem like any more care was done for him. Kyo brought his knees up and dropped his head on them.

~~~

            Kaoru sat by Yuichi’s bed with his mate. When the pack leader first came up with the syringe, he hesitated giving it to his son. He didn’t know what he was giving Yuichi and for all he knew it could be poison. Misaki though, she took it and uncapped the needle and stuck it into her son’s arm before he could protest. When he asked why she trusted Shinya with their son’s life, she looked him in the eye and said “Because Kyo trusts him and I trust Kyo with my life, my children’s lives, and with your life.”

            Now Kaoru was sitting by the bed rubbing Yuichi’s arm waiting for any change at all in his son’s condition. Misaki laid in the bed rubbing the young boy’s head watching him as he slept. As the hours past, both parents dozed off and it wasn’t until the sun shined on their faces that they woke back up. Misaki jumped up not realizing she had fallen asleep. She looked at her son to find him breathing softly and his cheeks not as flushed. She press her hand to his forehead and she could already feel the fever going down.

~~~

            Kaoru stared at the basement door for a minute before finally going in. He walked down to the lit room and found his friend and Shinya by the side wall, both still tied up. He walked up to them and sat down. He waited until Kyo finally lifted his head to look at his friend. Kaoru smiled softly.

“Yuichi’s fever went down. The medicine worked.”

“Good now untie us so we can go.”

“No.” Kaoru said.

“Shinya was honest. Now let us go.”

“No.” Kaoru said again. “If I do that, you’ll leave without hearing what I have to say.”

Kyo kept his glare. “Well then, spit it out.”

“You have a shitty attitude, a bad temper, and you hate to follow orders. You take risks and endanger others. You’re shitty person, but you’re also my friend and I’ve known you all my life. I know the real you. The Kyo who does smile every once in a while, who does care for his pack, and who would die protect to us. I know the Kyo who would never forgive me if I ever harmed anyone because I was being stupid…and I’ve been stupid these past few days.

            “You’re my friend and I should have trusted you better. You know what it’s like to lose people you love even if it isn’t through death. Of all the people to trust my family to, you should have been the first. What I’m getting at is that I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve been a terrible friend, I’m sorry for making all this harder on you, and I’m sorry for not trusting you. I don’t want you to leave. Your place is here and if it means accepting Shinya into my pack then I will if it means you’ll stay here with us.”

“You’re right, you have been shitty,” Kyo snapped, but continued on, “but so have I. You have more than I ever will and that means I can’t understand what you feel when it comes to your family. I shouldn’t have acted like a child. I’m sorry, too.”

“I forgive you.” Kaoru said.

“Awesome, now get these damn things off of me so I can punch you with forgiveness.”

Kaoru gave a small laugh as he started working on Kyo’s restraints. “Let’s skip that part. You’ll need my help getting Shinya up the stairs.”

“Fine” Kyo agreed with a sigh and looked over at Shinya who was still sleeping soundly.

~~~

            Shinya woke up to blurry vision and he groaned as he slowly sat up, rubbing his head. He heard the sound of soft breathing and found Kyo sleeping next to him on the bed. Shinya’s face burned noticing the alpha was also shirtless. He slowly laid back down onto his side and stared at Kyo’s sleeping face. He raised his hand up and gently rubbed his finger on the alpha’s lips. Kyo’s mouth suddenly opened and he gently chomped on Shinya’s finger. The beta let out a startled squeal and Kyo opened one of his eyes. He licked the digit in his mouth making Shinya blush a deeper shade of red.

“K-Kyo?” Shinya gasped.

The alpha climbed over Shinya’s body and moved down to kiss his lips. The beta moaned into the kiss with shaky lips. Kyo pulled away and stared down at him with sharp eyes making him moan out. Kyo blushed feeling Shinya twitch underneath him and quickly got off him. The blonde coughed as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“How are you feeling?” Kyo asked.

“I’m okay.” Shinya mumbled, missing the alpha’s heat on top of him.

“Good. You’ve been out for a few days. We were getting worried.”

“We?” Shinya asked.

“Yeah. Yuichi is up and running around as happy as can be. Kaoru is thankful to you. He even offered you to join his pack.”

“What? But…does he know that Gin’s my father.” Shinya whispered.

“Yeah, I told him. I also told him that Gin’s was the one who did this to you. I’m hoping I didn’t lie to him.”

“My father did, along with most of my pack.”

“So will you join us?” Kyo asked. “I…want you to stay with me. If not, then we can leave this city together and start our own pack.”

Shinya blushed. “I should probably think about it.”

“Okay, sure no problem. I’ll go get you some food, so just keep resting.”  Kyo ordered and Shinya blushed but nodded. Once Kyo was out of the room, Shinya hugged himself and giggled at the warmth in his chest.

~~~

            Several months passed after that incident and Shinya became a member of the pack although he had to do quite a bit to be trusted by everyone. He was happy to help whenever they needed him to and even became bonded with Kyo. His alpha was never too far from him and everything seemed to be going great, but underneath the façade they knew it was coming down to a big fight between Gin and Kaoru. There have been several attacks on both sides, but never big enough to kill or even maim. It was mostly scare tactics from both sides, but neither were backing down.

            Misaki was getting closer to her due date too so tensions were also high with the pack. Kaoru was being more cautious and added Tsukasa and Tatsurou to Misaki’s guard and wasn’t allowing her to leave home nor their children. Ryoko just turned ten a few months ago and Yuichi will be seven in a few days so they were planning a surprise party for him. So Asagi and Tomoya decided to run into town for Misaki to buy some decorations.

            The restaurant was closed today so they didn’t have to work on that and it got them out of house chores for a few hours too. They were going between stores picking out the best things for Yuichi and looking for gift ideas as well. While they were running around the sky darkened with clouds and it looked like it was about to start. Asagi forgot to grab an umbrella so they decided to go back early to beat the rain.

            As they were making to the edge of town Asagi smelt someone coming up behind them. He slowed to a stop as did Tomoya and they turned to see three wolves walking up to them. Asagi quickly got in front of Tomoya, but then two more wolves came out of the alleyways to the left then their right. They were surrounded. Asagi started growling as thunder roared above them and rain started to fall.

~~~

            Kaoru was on the porch with Misaki and Sayuri as well as Kyo and Shinya. Ryoko and Yuichi were playing in the rain with Zero and Tsukasa. Misaki handed Sayuri to Shinya who was able kneel down and place her on her feet. Kaoru was close, but out of her reach as the one year old stretched her arms out to him. She laughed as she took a step, then another and another. Shinya guided her at first, then let go as she walked to her father. Kaoru grabbed her and lifted her in the air praising her for walking even further today.

Misaki grabbed Shinya’s shoulder and smiled. “You’d make a great dad someday.”

Shinya blushed along with Kyo who looked away and Misaki laughed.

“Dad!” Ryoko screamed out and they looked out to see Asagi staggering through the gate. Tomoya was hanging limply in the alpha’s arms. Tsukasa picked Ryoko and Yuichi up to run them inside as Zero and Hizumi ran to Asagi. Kaoru handed Sayuri to Misaki as Shinya and Kyo ran out as well.

            Hizumi took Tomoya from Asagi and Zero helped the other alpha walk. Shinya ran up see if there were any serious injuries, but it was hard to tell with the rain. They made it up to the house and inside. They placed both on the floor of the living room and Shinya was quick to check Asagi out and found his body covered in lacerations, but nothing too serious. He started checking Tomoya next and noticed his bloody thigh and pale face. With shaky hands he placed his fingers to Tomoya’s neck, but he couldn’t feel anything. He ripped the omega’s shirt open and pressed his ear against Tomoya’s chest. Shinya slowly sat up and looked up at Kaoru.

“He’s gone.” Shinya whispered.

“What? Do CPR or something!” Mao snapped.

“He’s not even bleeding out anymore.” Shinya said. “Just by looking at his leg, I can tell his artery was damaged. He bled out long before he made it here.”

“Sorry.” Asagi coughed out. “I tried to…protect him.”

“Quiet now. Shinya, work on Asagi. We can’t lose him, too.” Kaoru ordered.

“Tomo…ya” Subaru whimpered as he walked in. The other omega dropped to his knees next to his friend. He dropped his head on Tomoya’s chest and cried out.

“This is the final straw.” Kaoru growled.

~~~

            The next morning, the pack buried Tomoya behind the house in a clearing in the woods. When they made it back to the house, Kaoru started barking out orders, organizing the pack for an attack. He had Tsukasa and Hizumi stay to protect Misaki and the kids while Zero and Tatsurou joined in the initial attack. Kyo was tying Shinya’s freshly dyed blonde hair back when Kaoru approached them. He glared down at Shinya for a moment.

“Will you be able to fight your old pack? I can’t have a wolf out there hesitating for any reason.”

Shinya stood up to look Kaoru in the eye. “Tomoya was always good to me. I’ll never forgive them for what they did to him. To you. I won’t hesitate even if it’s my father.”

“We’ll see about that.” Kaoru said with a nod.

Kyo patted Shinya’s back. “I’ll keep you safe while we’re out there. They’re going to be targeting you the most.”

“I know.” Shinya said and turned to his mate. “I’m stronger than they think.”

Kyo smirked. “Let’s show them what we got.”

~~~

            Kaoru led the pack through the town towards the other side where Gin’s pack was waiting. The other alpha knew his last attack would stir Kaoru up enough for a fight. The final fight. As Kaoru approached, he saw Gin and his pack already in their wolf forms. This was a free for all fight to the death and his pack knew that as well. Kaoru growled out as he started running and changing into his wolf form with his pack doing the same behind him. Gin led the charge for his pack.

            The two packs came closer and closer until wolves collided with each other, tearing into each other’s flesh. Kaoru took on Gin, slamming him into the ground first and went for an attack on his neck, but another wolf slammed into him knocking him back. Gin got up as his son went to attack again, but Shinya jumped over Kaoru and onto Ran’s back biting into his neck. Gin snapped at Shinya, but Kaoru was quick to catch the other pack leader’s attention.

            Kyo tore into his opponent and rolled around with him until he was taken out. Kyo’s ear perked at the sound of a whimper and looked up in time to see the light going out from Subaru’s eyes. The omega’s body went limp as the alpha wolf jerked his neck once more, killing him. The wolf dropped Subaru as Kyo charged forward to attack him next.

            Kaoru fought hard against Gin, hearing and seeing members from both packs fall from the fight. Shinya whimpered out as Ran slammed him into the ground, but the beta swiped his paw up scratching the alpha’s eye causing him to jump back. Shinya took his chance to take his brother down. He reached up clamping his teeth on Ran’s neck and biting down hard. Ran tried to pull away, but Shinya’s grip tightened and he used his weight to take the alpha down. Shinya tore in Ran’s neck, tearing at the arteries knowing the alpha would bleed out in no time.

            The fight continued until the numbers dwindled down on both sides. Gin stood with one wolf behind him as Kaoru stood with Shinya, Kyo, and Mao. They waited catching their breaths. Mao’s legs shook as he tried to stay upright, but his vision was beginning to blur. He caught the sight of Tsurugi off to the side, his fur covered in blood. Mao whimpered out as he fell, his last thought being of seeing his best friend again.

“Mao.” Kyo’s voice shook. He looked around at all of his dead friends and whimpered.

Kaoru’s legs were shaking as he tried to keep his mind away from the death around them. His body burned with rage towards Gin. He took a step forward but froze when he felt a pain his chest. He looked back towards the direction of his home.

“Misaki?” He whimpered.

Gin started to laugh. “I thought my son would never make it there.”

Kaoru growled towards Gin and moved to attack, but another pain went through his body making change into his human form.

“Kaoru?” Kyo cried out. Kaoru screamed out in pain gripping his chest. He fell to his side, his face covered in blood and sweat as more pain assaulted his chest.

“What did you do?” Shinya snapped at his father.

Gin laughed. “Took care of Kaoru’s offspring of course. Can’t have those spawns running around my territory.”

“No!” Kyo cried out. Kaoru cried out in pain as drool ran out of his mouth.

“Yes, everything he holds dear is dead.” Gin laughed.

            Shinya growled out as he charged forward and Kyo ran behind him as Gin and his last wolf ran forward as well. Shinya jumped in the air and so did Gin. The two collided as Kyo tackled the second wolf to the ground. Gin slammed Shinya into the ground and tore into his chest, but Shinya bit into his father’s head, digging his teeth into the older wolf’s eyes. Gin cried and tried to pull away, but Shinya wouldn’t let him go. Shinya started swinging his head side to side until he heard a loud snap. Gin fell limp and Shinya let him go allowing his body to fall to the ground.

            Kyo looked over from his kill to see Shinya standing in his human form looking down at his father dead on the ground. Kyo walked up to him and Shinya smiled, but the moment was short lived as Kaoru screamed out in pain. The two ran to his side and helped him up to his feet as he gasped for air.

“Mi…sa…” He choked out. Shinya and Kyo would have to come back for their fallen comrades later. They needed to get to Misaki and the kids now.


	42. Their Past part 4

            Kaoru gasped for air, barely conscious as his feet dragged the ground. Kyo and Shinya were dragging him down the road towards the house. The pain seemed to have subsided for the most part, but something wasn’t right and they could both feel it. It wasn’t long before they were making up to the front gate of the house and they gasped as they stopped in their tracks. Hizumi was lying face down in the dirt. Shinya took Kaoru’s weight as Kyo moved to check on the alpha. He knelt down and turned Hizumi’s body over and saw it drenched in blood, his eyelids closed, no pulse in his body.

“Damn you.” Kyo whimpered. “Damn you Hizumi! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t die until you beat me in a match? Fuck you. _Fuck you!”_

“Kyo.” Shiny whispered. “We have to find the kids.”

“Shit.” He whimpered. “This isn’t good.”

            Kyo took Kaoru’s side once more and helped drag him further to the house were they spotted two dead men, more than likely wolves from Gin’s pack. As they approached the house they spotted two more bodies. One lying flat on the ground and the other propped up against the porch. As they got closer, they realized the one against the porch was Tsukasa and this time Shinya let go to check him. The alpha’s jaw was open, blood dripping from his mouth and his eyes were half open.

            Shinya shook pressing his fingers against Tsukasa’s neck and found nothing. He held back his tears as he stood up and shook his head. Kyo cursed once more. Kaoru had long passed out from his injuries and Kyo gently laid him on the porch. As he did he heard Shinya gasp. He looked up in time to see Shinya taking off to the side of the house and Kyo was quick to follow him. Kyo saw the blonde drop to his knees before he got closer. When he did, he felt his heart ache. Shinya was crying, holding Ryoko’s still bloody form in his arms. Next to her was Yuichi in the same condition.

“No.” Kyo whimpered, dropping to his knees. He reached out with shaking hands, tears running down his face as he picked the young boy. He cried out burying his face into the boy’s chest.

‘This can’t be happening.’ Kyo thought. ‘He’s still warm’

“Ryoko? Yuichi?” Kaoru’s deep broken voice caught their attention. The pack leader was standing behind them, tears rolling down his face. He whimpered before crying out in pain, falling to the ground. He reached out to his children, but couldn’t bring himself to touch their bodies. Kyo and Shinya moved them to the porch before coming to find Kaoru standing in his wolf form. In front of him was another wolf holding something bloody in its mouth.

            Shinya growled out. “Ren!”

The wolf dropped whatever he had and licked his snout. “Shinya, what a surprise to see you alive. Can’t say the same for the wolves here.”

Kaoru growled out and charged forward as the brown wolf fought back. Kyo and Shinya moved to help, but Ren’s whimper stopped them. They stared in shock as Kaoru ripped the wolf’s throat out of his neck. He tossed the flesh to the side and started walking forward. He sniffed the thing Ren had dropped before howling out in pain. Kyo gripped his own chest before he and Shinya followed their leader. As they walked passed the flesh the realized what it was. Kaoru’s unborn child.

            Kaoru had stopped ahead and was on his knees in his human form in front of Misaki who was laying on her back, stomach tore open. Sayuri was a few feet away, not moving. Shinya gasped out falling to his knees.

“M-Misaki…” Kaoru whimpered pulling his dead mate into his arms. He cried out her name once more burying his face into her neck.

~~~

            Shinya washed his hands in the kitchen sink before turning the faucet off. It was so quiet in the house now. No kids laughing, no arguing between Hizumi and Kyo, no Misaki putting Kaoru in his place… nobody here. Shinya covered his mouth as tears ran down his cheeks. He walked to the living room and looked out the window. Bodies were lined up in a row with sheets covering them and a few had wooden coffins in front of them. Kyo had gone and retrieved every pack member. Now he was out there building the coffins for them all.

            Shinya walked up the stairs to check on Kaoru in his room. The alpha had passed out after finding Misaki and has been sleeping since. His wounds were serious and Shinya was worried he wouldn’t make it, but he managed to pull through, and now he just had to wake up. Shinya was worried he never would though. The beta walked back down to go outside to give Kyo a glass of water. As he approached he noticed the alpha crying with every swing of his hammer. Shinya knelt next to him and handed him the glass of water. Kyo dropped his head on Shinya’s shoulder and cried out. The beta dropped the water and hugged his mate tightly in his arms.

            Kyo sniffled as he pulled away and held Shinya’s hand. “I’m sorry, I lost your bracelet somehow.”

“What?” Shinya said softly looking at Kyo’s bare wrist.

“ _I lost your bracelet.”_ Kyo cried out. _“I lost my family…I lost everything.”_

“You still have Kaoru and me.” Shinya whispered hoping it would help. Kyo wrapped his arms around Shinya’s body again and held him tightly.

            The sun had set by the time Kyo placed the last body, Misaki, into her coffin and sealed it up. The next morning both Kyo and Shinya went to the clearing in the woods behind the house and dug a hole for each pack member. It took most of the day to do, but they managed it and worked together to bring the coffins to their holes, but they didn’t place them in yet.

            Shinya was covered in dirt, but he didn’t think Kaoru would care if he tracked it in the house right now. He went up to the alpha’s room to see if he could wake Kaoru up, but he was surprised to see the alpha sitting up in bed tears running down his cheeks. Shinya knocked softly on the door as he entered.

“Kaoru?” Shinya whispered.

“It’s true. I hoped it was a nightmare, but it’s so quiet. Misaki isn’t next to me. Sayuri isn’t in her crib. I can’t hear Ryoko or Yuichi playing. They’re gone.”

“Kyo and I are getting ready to bury everyone. We thought you should be there.”

Kaoru nodded. He got up from his bed and walked robotically to the door, not even putting on clothes, but Shinya didn’t say anything. He just helped Kaoru walk.

            Kyo was planting another cross into the ground when he spotted Shinya helping Kaoru walk through the trees. They approached the coffins seeing the names of the pack members on each one along with the crosses as well. Kaoru stopped in front of the one that said Misaki on it and sat on his knees in front of it. Kyo waved to Shinya and he walked down to the first coffin. Shinya read the name on it: Mao.

_“Hey Shinya watch out, I heard Kyo’s a beast in the bed. You might not be able to walk!” Mao laughed and Shinya’s face blushed._

Kyo rubbed the coffin before he and Shinya used a rope to lower it down.

_“I bet a hundred bucks on you beating Hizumi again. You better not lose!” Mao laughed rubbing Kyo’s head._

They started shoveling dirt into the hole remembering all the time Mao made them laugh, piss Kyo off, and made sure embarrass Shinya every chance he got. Shinya laughed though his tears patting the filled hole.

            They moved to the next one. Hizumi.

_“Hey Shinya, you’ve gotten a lot better at being a doctor. When do you plan on opening a clinic for us?” Hizumi asked as Shinya wrapped his sprained wrist, which he’d gotten from losing another fight to Kyo._

_“You think you’re tough, huh? Well I’m going to beat that attitude out of you. Nobody’s a better fighter than me.” Hizumi yelled at Kyo the first time they met face to face._

“You stupid asshole.” Kyo whimpered wiping his tears. He filled the hole thinking of all the fights he had with Hizumi since the first day they met just because neither liked to lose.

            They continued filling each hole, remembering everybody as they did. They moved to the coffin, one of the smaller ones, and hesitated. The looked over and found Kaoru laying on Misaki’s coffin with his hand on Sayuri’s.

“Kaoru, it’s time to say goodbye.” Kyo said softly.

The pack leader took a moment before sitting up. He looked over at each of the mounds then at the coffin with Ryoko’s name written on it. He felt his heart ache as he nodded his head. Kyo tapped Shinya’s shoulder. Kaoru watched as the two lifted the coffin then lower it into the ground.

_“Daddy! Look look I can change now!” Ryoko yelled as she changed in into a mini version of Kaoru’s wolf form. She let out a squeaky bark and Kaoru laughed as he picked her up into the air._

Shinya and Kyo lifted Yuichi’s coffin and lowered it into the next hole.

_“Dad! I did it! I changed. Watch me!” Yuichi squeaked as changed and his sister clapped jumping up and down. Kaoru petted the young wolf’s head and he rolled over for his dad to rub his stomach._

Kyo alone lowered Sayuri’s coffin into her grave.

_“Come on Sayuri, come to daddy.” Kaoru coaxed as the young girl laughed taking her first step alone. She fell forward, but he was there to catch her and lift her into the air making her laugh more._

Kyo lifted a tiny coffin, one without a name on it. He lowered it down and Kaoru whimpered out looking at Misaki’s coffin. The alpha could only imagine the child that didn’t even have a chance.

            “Kaoru, it’s time.” Kyo said standing at the head of Misaki’s coffin. Kaoru stood up, but this time helped lower Misaki.

_“Oh sorry.” A teen Kaoru laughed rubbing his head._

_The young girl he just accidently head butted glared at him rubbing her head, but then she smiled. “You can apologize by buying me a milkshake.”_

_“Huh?”_

_“A milkshake. I’m Misaki by the way.”_

_“Kaoru. Nice to meet you.” Kaoru laughed. “So what’s your favorite milkshake?”_

_“Vanilla. What’s yours?”_

_“Strawberry.”_

“She smelt of strawberries” Kaoru whispered as Shinya and Kyo finished burying her.

~~~

            The three of them were sitting in the living room drinking beer in silence. It had been four days since the funeral and Kaoru hasn’t spoken a word. Shinya nodded to Kyo who took the hint and sat his beer down.

“Kaoru, Shinya and I have been talking. We think it’s best if we leave this place for a while.”

“Then leave.” Kaoru whispered.

“We want you to come with us.” Shinya said softly.

“No.”

“Kaoru, we’re not going to leave you here alone.” Kyo said. “We need you.”

“I’m not a pack leader anymore.”

“You still have us.” Shinya whimpered.

“I’m not a pack leader anymore.” Kaoru growled. “I refuse to be one ever again.”

“Fine.” Kyo said. “Then join my pack. I need your guidance. We can start over in a new place. You always talked about finding somewhere bigger.”

Kaoru looked Kyo in the eye. “There’s only three of us now. We don’t need anything bigger anymore.”

“I was thinking,” Kyo said. “Shinya had it rough and I bet he’s not the only one. There are bound to be wolves out there like us. Outcasts, orphans, strays who all need a place to call home. I want to have place for these wolves to call home. To have a family. I need your help guiding the pack I want to create.”

Kaoru closed his eyes not being able to stand the silence of this house any longer. “Okay.”  
~~~

            The next day, they spent hours boarding the house up, covering everything up, packing and locking up the place. They closed down the restaurant, splitting the money from their savings into two halves. One half stayed in the house in case they needed to return and the other half went with them. They looked up at the house one last time before walking to the graves to say their final goodbyes. Kaoru took an extra minute at Miaski’s grave before turning and following Kyo into the woods with backpacks and small duffels.

~~~

            The first city they arrived in was Silverwood and it was a rundown place. More people sleeping on the streets than they had ever seen before. They got into a hotel for the three of them to share for the night. Kyo and Shinya shared a bed while Kaoru got his own. They all agreed to leave after a few hours rest. They didn’t want to be here longer than possible. They were still healing from the fight with Gin and their bodies weren’t as strong right now so they couldn’t risk a fight. They all dozed off, too tired to think anymore.

            It wasn’t until Kaoru heard something that he awoke. He smelt a new scent and quickly sat up spotting a figure going through their bags. He started growling and the figure froze as Kaoru got out from behind. Kyo woke hearing Kaoru growling and he quickly turned on the lamp in the room. They spotted a man in all black, wearing a black mask as well. Kaoru sniffed the air once more.

“You’re a wolf.” Kaoru said.

“That I am. I figured you guys were too.” He said pulled his mask off showing his long brown hair. “Few people tend to pass through this town and only those who can defend themselves would even dare stay here.”

“Right. And you’re in our room because?” Kyo asked, pissed off that his sleep was interrupted.

“Oh, the name’s Toshiya. Master thief at your service.” Toshiya said with a bow.

“At our service?” Kaoru asked. “You’re stealing from us aren’t you?”

“Bingo.”

“I’ll make you a deal.” Kyo said. “Put back everything you took and I won’t kill you.”

“You drive a heavy bargain.” Toshiya nodding, “But uh how else am I going to make my living? Can’t certainly get a job since my skillset is kind of meant for thieving.”

Shinya saw the bag he had on and realized which one it was. “Kyo he has our medicine.”

The alphas started growling and Toshiya growled back. Kaoru ran in first, but Toshiya easily spun and dodged him before running to the door. Shinya ran after him with Kyo close behind.

He turned back to Kaoru. “Stay here in case he comes back.”

Kaoru growled, but nodded. He wasn’t used to taking ordered.

            Shinya ran close behind Toshiya as he made his way through the city. Shinya looked back and realized they had lost Kyo in the process. Shinya pulled back, but stayed close enough not to lose Toshiya. The alpha slowed once he thought he lost the beta, but Shinya was still tracking him. Shinya followed him to a rundown place where he entered so Shinya went in as well. People covered in dirt and wearing rags were sitting around in the hallway.

            Shinya spotted Toshiya turn a corner and went after him following him until he entered a room. Shinya peeked in and saw a teenage girl laying in pallet on the floor. He watched as Toshiya dumped the medicine on the floor.

“Hey, Nia, how are you feeling?” He asked.

“I’m…okay.” The girl whispered. Toshiya looked through the medicines humming.

“One of these are bound to help you.”

“Thank you…Totchi.”

He nodded and lifted a bottle of pills. He popped them open and Shinya had to step in. “Don’t give those to her!”

Toshiya turned, jumping to his feet. “I thought I lost you. You’re not getting this stuff back. I’ll kill you before you can.”

“You idiot!” Shinya snapped. “You have no idea what you’re doing. If you giving her those pills she could have an aneurism. Those are blood thinners.”

            Toshiya looked at the pill bottle then at Shinya who walked in and sat next to the girl. “Do you know what’s wrong with her?”

Toshiya nodded. “The doctor said it was some sort of cancer. Leukemia I think is what he called it. I can’t afford the medicine for her to get better so I’m taking whatever meds I can get my hands on. One of them is bound to cure her.”

“When was she diagnosed?”

“About a year ago.”

Shinya closed his eyes before standing up. “None of the medicine I have will help her.”

“Are you doctor or something?”

“Yeah.”

“Great, then you can help her.” Toshiya said happily.

“No I can’t.” Shinya sadly.

“Why, because I stole from you guys? Fine you can take your stuff back.” Toshiya said pushing pill bottles into Shinya’s chest. Shinya grabbed Toshiya’s hands gently.

“No I mean nobody can help her. Her cancer can’t be cured and it’s in its final stages.”

“What?” Toshiya growled pulling his hands away. The pills bottle clacked as they bounced onto the ground. “You’re lying. They cure cancer all the time!”

“Only a few are curable.” Shinya said. “Leukemia is not and for as long as she has had it I’m surprised she’s survived this long, but her time is up. She doesn’t have long.”

“You’re lying!” Toshiya snapped tears running down his cheeks.

“Totchi.” The girl whispered and he moved back to her side.

“Yes?”

She smiled brightly. “Could you get me some candy? You know my favorite chocolate ones?”

“Yeah, yeah of course.”

“Thank you.” She said and there was something about that thank you that had a deeper meaning.

“No problem, I’ll be back soon okay.” Toshiya said jumping up to his feet.

“I’ll come with you.” Shinya said. He followed Toshiya out of the rundown house and down the road a bit before finally speaking. “Is she your sister?”

“What? Oh you mean Nia, no. She’s my best friend’s sister.”

“Where’s your friend?”

Toshiya stopped and Shinya stopped as well. “We did heists and break-ins together. Well, six months ago one didn’t go as planned and she was killed because of me. I promised to take care of her sister for her, so that’s what I’m doing now.”

“I see.” Shinya said.

            Toshiya broke into a store with ease and grabbed a whole case of chocolates and headed back out with Shinya in tow. They walked back to the house, and Shinya sighed as they walked back into the room, but he hung back in the door way. He already knew.

“Hey, Nia I managed to find you a bunch.” Toshiya said happily, but the girl was silent. “Nia?”

Shinya turned and stepped out to the hallway. He took a steady breath as Toshiya screamed out Nia’s name at the top of his lungs.

~~~

            Kyo had made it back to the hotel room where he found Kaoru pacing inside, he looked around and knew Shinya wasn’t there. He knew the blonde was okay, but it was still bothering him that he couldn’t find his mate. He quickly changed his clothes and slipped his shoes as Kaoru did the same. They gathered their things to check out of the hotel, not wanting spend money on another day, but as they stepped out, Shinya was walking up to the door.

“Perfect timing.” Shinya said. “Let me change real quick before we leave.”

“Where the hell have you been?” Kyo asked.

“I’ll explain later.” Shinya said.

            After he had changed they checked out of the hotel and started making their way to leave the city. It wasn’t too long before they were walking up to the exit sign when they spotted a familiar face standing by a street sign. Toshiya smiled as waved and Shinya waved back as Kyo growled, but before he could yell at the other wolf Shinya shouted out.

“Hey, Toshiya, you made it.”

“Huh?” Kyo gasped as Shinya ran up to the alpha.

Shinya patted some dirt off Toshiya’s arm. “You could have cleaned up first. I would have told them to wait.”

The man shrugged. “It’s alright, oh here.” Toshiya handed the stolen bag back then he looked over at Kyo and Kaoru and smiled. “Hey, Shinya said I could join your pack.”

“By the way, did you get everything settled with Nia?”

“Yeah, she’s with her sister and I made sure to leave to the chocolates for both of them.” Toshiya said with a smile.

“That’s good. I’m glad you were able to say goodbye.” Shinya said and looked back at Kyo and Kaoru, “What are you guys waiting for, let’s get moving!”

“Did I miss something?” Kyo asked watching his mate and Toshiya start walking without them.

“I think we both did.” Kaoru said. “Hey, wait up!”

~~~

            At first Kyo didn’t like Toshiya tagging along, but after a few days he started to enjoy the other alpha’s company. The four passed through several cities together, often being chased out by another pack, other times finding cities too small or too dangerous for them. They made it on to a party city called Light Feather, but its nickname was RaveCity. It seems like every block had a twenty-four hour club. This was definitely not their scene. It was late though so they decided to rest at a hotel, if they could find one.

            They were wondering around for a couple of hours, finding nothing but drunks, partiers, bouncers, and fights. Shinya stuck close Kyo as Kaoru and Toshiya stayed at their back. The smell of wolves was growing.

“You jerk!” A woman yelled slapping a short brunette across the face sending his sunglasses flying into the air. She stomped off leaving him with another woman rubbing his arm. He kissed his teeth rubbing his cheek. Shinya picked the sunglasses up and walked them over to the man.

“Thanks.” He said taking them then his eyes froze. “Hey, you’re like me.”

Shinya’s eyes widen realizing this guys was wolf. He would have missed it if he hadn’t said anything. It wasn’t like he couldn’t smell the guy.

“Ruki, are we going?” the woman asked.

“Yeah…” He said looking at the three walking up behind Shinya. “My friends, you look tired. Trying to find a place to stay tonight?”

“Do you know where a hotel is?” Kyo asked, sensing this guys was friendlier than he looked.

“The only hotels near hear are brothels. Come on, you can stay with me and my roomie tonight. As a thank you giving me back my glasses. These things are worth five hundred bucks. Surprised you didn’t run away with them.” Ruki said leading the way with woman in tow.

            They followed the short wolf to a quieter side of town into a nice building. They got into the elevator and rode up to the tenth floor where Ruki got out and led the way down the hall. He unlocked the door and led the way.

“Yo Kai, I brought some guests! Make yourselves at home.”

“It better not be those assholes from last week that stole my stuff.” A brunette yelled walking wearing only a pair of sweats and holding a coffee cup. His eyes widen seeing the group. “Ruki you brought pack of… men here.” He stopped himself before he could say anything more in front of the woman.

Ruki laughed as he pulled away. “Yeah, have fun party boy!”

            Kai rubbed his head as his friend disappeared with the woman. “I apologize for his drunken antics. I don’t know why he brought a pack of wolves home this time.”

“Well, we were just looking for a place to stay and he offered.” Shinya said with a smile.

“Of course he did.” Kai sighed. “There’s only two rooms here so you’ll have to make do with the living room.”

“You’re okay with a group of strange wolves sleeping in your living room?” Toshiya asked.

“No, but Ruki brings people I don’t like all the time when he’s drunk. He does it to piss me off, so I stop getting pissed and he stops bring people to annoy me…most the time. Ruki wouldn’t have brought you here if you were dangerous. Or at least if we couldn’t handle you guys. Go on get some sleep.”

            Ruki groaned as he woke up with a massive headache. The woman woke him up as she left and now he was pissed off. He got out of bed and walked out to get coffee. He could already smell it brewing as he walked into the kitchen. He took note of Kai standing with his own cup and a second in his other hand. Ruki reached out to take his mug and turned to see four strange faces sitting at his table.

“Who the hell are you guys?” Ruki snapped.

“You idiot. You brought them over last night.” Kai said shaking his head.

“Oh, good morning then.”

Shinya started laughing at their interaction. “Thank you.”

“Hey, the first time someone laughed.” Ruki smirked.

“That’s because he’s laughing at you’re stupidity.” Kai said walking back into the kitchen. “So where are you guys heading now?”

“We don’t know yet.” Shinya said. “We’re just looking for a new home for now.”

“Well count this place out.”

“Already did.” Kyo said drinking his coffee.

“It’s not that bad.” Ruki mumbled.

Kai rolled his eyes. “You do know we have to skip town right?”

“What why?” Ruki asked.

“The chick you banged last night. That was Choco’s wife. He has already called and threatened you. We have about an hour to get our shit and get out.” Kai said calmly.

“Fuck why didn’t you wake me up earlier.” Ruki snapped and ran out of the room.

“Choco?” Toshiya snorted.

“The gang boss of this town. Ruki has the nasty talent of attracting trouble no matter where we go.” Kai laughed.

“You seem awfully calm about it all.” Kyo said and Kai nodded.

“Yeah I’m used to it unfortunately. I went ahead packed my bags last night. Unlike his stupid drunken ass, I recognized her.”

“So you’re leaving town too?” Shinya asked. “Where will you go?”

Kai shrugged his shoulders. “We never have a destination set once we leave a place. It’d be nice to settle down for more than two months though. I’ve been wanting to open up a coffee shop.”

“Why don’t you come with us?” Shinya asked.

“Shinya!” Kyo snapped.

“What, they’re interesting and they have no other place to go. Obviously they’re not in a pack. We want to settle down and so does Kai. Maybe Ruki would too?”

Kai laughed at the thought of Ruki calming down with the partying. “Now that is something I would pay to see. If it’s alright with you guys and with Ruki, we might join you.”

~~~

            “Ravenstone City?” Ruki said reading the sign. “I never heard of this place.”

“Yeah me either.” Kai said rubbing his chin. He turned to Kyo. “What about you guys?”

“Nope.” Kyo said.

“Well let’s check it out!” Shinya said. “It might be interesting!”

“Here we go again.” Kyo sighed, but smiled and they followed the beta down the road. Kaoru stopped for a moment and looked back, then turned to keep going. It became habit to keep looking back to picture what his family would be doing that day. Sayuri would be walking around. Ryoko and Yuichi would be practicing their fighting. Misaki would be yelling at him for letting Mao in charge of their new baby. As those thoughts ran through Kaoru head, they entered the city.

            Kaoru stopped suddenly when a young girl ran in front of him. She picked up a small ball and looked up at him and tilted her head.

“Are you okay mister?”

Kaoru’s eyes widen when he realized he was crying.

“Lovelie!” A woman shouted as she ran up to her child. She picked her daughter up and bowed to the man. “I’m sorry for her. She likes to talk to random people.”

“That’s alright.” Kaoru mumbled.

The woman backed up. “Oh, you’re a wolf.”

“Melody?” A man covered in tattoos holding a baby walked up to them.

“Miyavi, it’s a pack.” She said then looked at Kaoru. “Do you live here?” She asked.

“No.” Kyo said walked up to her. “But were looking.”

“As are we.” She said. “I’m Melody, this is my mate Miyavi and our little girls, Lovelie and Jewelie.”

“Pleasure.” Kyo said. “I’m Kyo, this is my mate Shinya, Kaoru, Toshiya, Ruki and Kai.”

“I hope we’re not rivalling for this area.” She said. “I’d hate to get into a fight so soon.”

“Do you have a pack?” Kaoru seriously.

Melody felt unease but answered. “Just us four.”

“Then how about joining us.” Kaoru offered, surprising Kyo and Shinya. “We’re trying make our pack stronger and you have the strength of a mother. They’re the strongest there is.”

Melody blushed. “You flatter me.” She looked back at Miyavi who shrugged. “I think we’ll accept your offer.”

“That’s a relief.” Shinya said. “So have you been here long?”

“Just for a couple of days. We were heading to check out a building across town. It’s supposed to be for sale and has a lot of room.” Melody said. “Come on, let’s take a look together.”

“Just so you know.” Toshiya spoke. “Kyo’s the pack leader.”

Melody stared wide eye. “Oh, I figured Kaoru was the leader. Since he offered and all.”

“Where’s this place you were talking about?” Kyo asked ignoring her comment.

            Melody led the way to a large building with a heavy iron gate. She pulled out a piece of paper and started talking. “It used to be a factory that built metal gears. But because the company went bankrupt, they had to shut down the factory. If it’s not bought by next month they’re going to demolish it.”

Kaoru stared at the place through the bars. “Misaki would’ve loved the size.”

“Misaki?” Melody asked, but they ignored her and Kyo patted his friend’s back.

“I think it’s perfect.” Kyo said.

~~~

            Aoi sniffled as he sat staring at the photo with Kaoru as Kyo stared out the bedroom window. Shinya was whimpering, wiping away his tears as he stared at the wall. Outside the open door, Toshiya was sitting against the wall with Die, staring up at the ceiling. Shou had tears running down his cheeks and Byou pulled him into a hug. Kai was leaning against the wall with Ruki and Uruha by his side. Hitsugi was leaning against the stair rail, his head dropped so his hair covered his face, but it didn’t hide the droplets falling form his chin. Ryoga held Tsuzuku tightly with Koichi and Hiroto standing by them. Melody and Miyavi were sitting on the stairs staring at the photo of their daughters.

            Kaoru pulled Aoi into a hug and kissed his head and Aoi cried out causing a chain reaction between them all. A memory of pain is not one easily forgotten, but one that more often teaches others of the consequences of actions.


	43. Past and Present

_A young boy with brown hair slowly sat up coughing from his bed and rubbing his watery eyes. He blinked finding his whole room filled with smoke and heat. He coughed, climbing out of his bed and stumbling to his door where he found the hallway in flames. He closed his door and backed up coughing. He stumbled back and fell trying to catch his breath. He heard the sound of glass shattering._

_“Nao!”_

_He looked up at his window to find his best friend climbing in. He coughed out. “Tora.”_

_The young Tora lifted Nao up and dragged him to the window. They climbed the desk that sat in front of it and Tora had Nao go first. Outside was Saga waiting to help them climb out of the house. Once they were out, they backed up watching the house burn brightly in the night. The sounds of screams filled the air and Nao squeezed his eyes shut while covering his ears. Tora and Saga hugged him tightly as they watched their home and families burn._

~~~

            Nao awoke on a hard floor with a brown blanket full of holes covering him. He sat up and yawned looking around the beat up old house they had been staying in. The omega whimpered when found himself alone, so he quickly got up and ran outside. Tora and Saga were sitting by a fire with a pot hanging over it. Tora smiled up at him and waved for him to join them so he did. The fire crackled as Nao sat by Tora, bringing his knees up to his chest. The alpha wrapped his arm around Nao and pulled him closer.

            The rundown town they were in was quiet even though it was full of wolves. There were no packs here, but they seemed to fit with the outcasts, ill, and elderly wolves all around. None of them had a pack or a place to call home. Saga stirred the watery substance in the pot as it began to boil. Nao leaned into Tora’s embrace, his eyes slowly closing as his body filled with warmth.

~~~

_Nao and Saga, young teens now, nodded to each other from across the street as Tora started talking to a street vendor. The man turned, distracted by what Tora pointed at and the two ran in. All three grabbed food from on top of the table and took off running with the man yelling at them. They managed to lose the man and made it to their hide out in the slums. They sat under their cardboard home dividing the food between them. Life was hard, but they made it as fun as possible. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep it up once people started recognizing them and chasing them away before they could even try._

_Saga and Nao were walking in town together seeing if they could convince someone to buy them food, but each time they were ignored or yelled at. People didn’t like messing with homeless kids. When they made it back to their hideout, Tora was there skinning a dead rabbit._

_“How did you get that?” Saga asked excitedly._

_“The woods are filled animals. We can start hunting there instead.” Tora said happily, but Nao was frowning. The teen rubbed the three scratches on Tora’s neck making him flinch._

_“What happened?”_

_Tora blushed looking away. “So, I might need more practice hunting. I kind of stumbled while chasing my first rabbit.”_

_“How many rabbits did you chase?” Saga chuckled._

_“Th-that’s none of your business!” Tora huffed. “Stop talking and start a fire so we can cook this thing.”_

_It wasn’t too much longer after that that they were hunting more in the woods to the point they started staying there. Only occasionally would they go into town and that was usually for medicine or anything they couldn’t get out in the woods. They were in their wolf forms most of the time now, mostly to stay warm and to practice hunting with each other. They were surviving._

_Then, one day everything changed. Nao and Saga went into town to get some spices for the deer meat they had left to cook. They wanted to try something different than normal. It was Nao’s suggestion so Tora agreed and told them to go get some if they could. They were walking out of a big shop with their pockets full when someone came up to them. He was a tall man with silver hair and sharp blue eyes. He was smiling at Saga mostly._

_“Why are two young boys stealing from a fine establishment?” He asked and they were about bolt when another man stood behind them._

_“Okay you caught us, but it’s only food.” Saga snapped throwing the spices he had on the ground and Nao did the same, but the man laughed._

_“Well now I only asked why. I can only assume that you’re hungry.” The man said with a crooked smile. “I can offer you a place where you’re fed and warm. All you have to do is work for me.”_

_Saga and Nao got the chills from this guy and the man behind them started growling. Saga looked back at him. “You’re a wolf.”_

_“Bingo kid!” The white haired man said. “Just like you. I need some young wolves for a job. It’ll get you food.”_

_“We’re getting food just fine.” Saga snapped. “We don’t need your help. Let’s go Nao.”_

_“Right.” The omega mumbled, but then the second man grabbed Saga by his arms and yanked him back._

_“I tried being nice.” The white haired man said. “Now I’m taking you.”_

_“Help!” Nao screamed out, but the people around them were ignoring the whole scene._

_The white haired man laughed. “Scream all you want. They’re happy to get scum like you off their streets.”_

_“Nao, run!” Saga yelled pulling at the man’s arms._

_Nao shook and stepped back as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Saga.” He whimpered before turning and running away._

~~~

            Nao woke up when Tora nudged him and a bowl was in front of his face. He took it and three started sipping at the soup. It wasn’t the best thin in the world, but at least it was food. Nao wondered if Saga ever blamed him for running away that time. He didn’t think about it too much as Tora and Saga spoke to each other, laughing at each other’s jokes. Nao stayed quiet like usual. He didn’t want to speak and it wasn’t as if had anything to say anyways. Tora and Saga didn’t seem to mind it too much even though Tora tried to pull him into the conversation most of the time.

            They finished their meal and as usual people nearby asked for left overs. Tora being the nice guy he was gave the people what food they had left. It was usually older or sick wolves unable to hunt anyways. Tora nudged Nao a little to get him moving around, but what Nao really wanted to do was lay back down. He would entertain Tora with a walk just so the alpha would leave him alone later when he laid down.

~~~

_Nao woke up from being jolted, but the truck he and Tora were in was just driving on a bumpy road. Saga was long gone before he and Tora got back, but there were other wolves there trying to catch them so they had to run. Nao kept blaming himself for letting Saga get taken even though Tora kept telling him that it wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t his fault that they had to leave either, it just wasn’t safe anymore for them. Reality finally sunk into both them. They weren’t kids anymore._

_They rode in the back of the truck for two days until the driver finally decided to kick them out so they had to start walking. They got pretty far from their old town, but that made it more painful. Nao wouldn’t say it out loud in fear of it being true, but he was sure they were never going to see Saga again and it was all his fault._

_They ended up in a lively city with plenty of places for them to stay in and rest. They started off sleeping in alleys and eating from the trash, occasionally they would be able to steal food from somewhere. Tora tried to lighten up the mood, but Nao never laughed. The alpha decided to do something he’d never done before. Go job hunting, at least then they could afford to sleep under a roof. Nao decided to do the same and they started going around the city looking for anyone who would even talk them in their dirty clothes._

_They didn’t have much luck until Tora went into a grocery store and started talking to the owner. Nao watched through the window and noticed Tora smiling with the lady. The omega didn’t want to get his hopes up, but something inside of him was getting excited._

_“Well, well what do we have here?”_

_Nao turned to see three old guys smiling at him. They reeked of booze and filth, and they were moving close. He stepped back, glancing in at the store. Tora hadn’t seemed to have noticed and he didn’t want to run in and ruin the alpha’s potential job._

_“Hey, come play with us puppy.”_

_Nao’s breath hitched. They knew. That must mean they were wolves as well, but Nao couldn’t smell them at all. He stepped back and three men changed forms to jump him, but he took off running._

_He could hear them close behind as he ran down the road past people, praying someone to help him, but people only seemed to back away. He could see a road crossing up ahead with a blinking sign. All he had to do was make it across, but then he was tackled onto the ground. He could feel the wolf’s breath on his neck._

_“Hey!” A deep voice growled. Nao looked up to see a brunette glaring in his direction. “I thought we told you to get out of our territory.”_

_The wolves growled, but took off running and Nao let out a shaky breath. The man reached down, offering Nao his hand. The omega took it and blushed as he was helped to his feet._

_“Nao!” Tora called and was running up to him. “Are you okay? I turned around and saw you running from some guys.”_

_“Y-yeah, he helped me” Nao said pointing at the brunette. “Oh thank you by the way.”_

_“No problem.” The man gave a bright smile._

_“Kai, I see you’ve meet our new guests.” The woman Tora was talking to earlier had walked up._

_“Oh hey, Melody. Yeah it’s seems a few stragglers from Kor’s old pack are still here. I’ll need to let Kyo know.”_

_“While you’re at it, take these two to him. They need work and a place to stay. I think we can work something out.” She said with a smile._

~~~

            Nao yawned as he and Tora turned a familiar corner for the second time. The alpha gave him a sad smile before pulling him into a close hug. He kissed the top Nao’s head before moving down to his lips. Nao closed his eyes and moaned into the kiss as he reached up to grip Tora’s shirt. The kiss was short and sweet, but something Nao needed. It was the only time he felt something worth feeling and urged to have Tora kiss him more, but he didn’t want to bother his alpha.

            Tora lead him back to their shelter and they went back inside where Saga was sitting playing a game of solitaire with some cards they managed to find. Tora sat across from him and the omega shuffled the cards for them to play a game. They offered Nao to play, but the omega chose to lay down instead. He grabbed his blanket and moved to lay his head on Tora’s lap as they played.

~~~

_Tora glared at Kai whenever Nao started hanging around him more than the older alpha. Tora would have to butt in to even get Nao to start talking to him anymore. The omega didn’t seem to notice though. He was too interested in the new wolf who saved him and wanted to get to know him more. It was the first time there were wolves that weren’t a danger to them and Nao felt overly safe. Over the next couple of months though, Nao returned to paying attention to Tora to. It was as if he could sense the other wolf’s jealousy._

_It seemed like they finally found a home for them to stay in and Nao was finally smiling for real and it made Tora incredibly happy. It was like that for a few years. Then something amazing happened. Kyo had an old friend coming to visit and when he entered with some of his pack, Nao started crying._

_“Saga!” Nao yelled running forward. The omega’s eyes widen and he ran forward tackling Nao with a hug. Tora had heard the commotion and ran out. He felt his chest swell and his eyes watered up as he stumbled to his old friend. The three friends sat on the floor crying as the hugged each, confusing the two packs._

_After they calmed down, they explained their relationship and how they were separated. Kyo and Yoshiki were happy for them meeting again, but the time for them packs to part was approaching. Saga begged to stay or to have Yoshiki let Nao and Tora come back with them. Yoshiki needed the extra noses with a few issues in his city and he discussed it with Kyo. After much debate they decided to allow the two wolves to join Yoshiki, but a couple days before they were to leave Nao got sick. He got very sick._

_His had been wracked with a fever, his body shook, and he could barely keep consciousness. He was far too sick to be moved, and it would be a while before he was to get better. Saga and Tora had to leave without him. They already made the agreement to go and they couldn’t wait for Nao to get better. Tora sat by Nao’s bedside swearing he’d back and get him one day soon. Nao was unconscious, but Tora leaned in and placed a kiss on the omega’s lips before leaving him._

~~~

            Nao woke up once more, but this time it was dark in the room. He was still laying in Tora’s lap, but the alpha was sleeping against the wall. Saga was on the other side under some blankets. Nao quietly sat up and stared Tora’s face before climbing on to his lap. Tora groaned as the pressure woke him up and before he knew it Nao was kissing him. Tora moaned into the kiss grabbing Nao’s waist.

            Tora lifted Nao up and held him as he gently laid him down on his back. Nao wrapped his legs around Tora’s waist to pull him closer and kiss him deeper. The alpha slipped his hand under Nao’s shirt to rub his chest. The omega shivered feeling Tora’s hand rubbing his nipples before pinching one.

“I love you.” Tora whispered before kissing down Nao’s neck and he shivered as his body filled with warmth. Nao opened his mouth trying to get his voice to work. He struggled trying to return the words to his mate. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to say, but because his voice hasn’t worked in so long

            Tora froze and sat up making Nao groan from the loss. Silence filled the room for a second until they heard a scream. They both jumped to their feet and Tora quietly woke Saga up as Nao went to peek out the window. He couldn’t see that well in the darkness, but there were more screams and they were getting closer. Howls started filling the air and they weren’t familiar.

“We’re leaving.” Tora whispered. He grabbed Nao’s hand and opened the door. He sniffed the air and listened before running out with the two omegas close behind. Saga could hear the sounds of fights going on all around them. It was a sound he could never forget.

            As they turned a corner a pack of five wolves looked at them. On the ground between them were dead wolves from the town. Tora clenched Nao’s hand as the unfamiliar wolves growled at them.

“Run.” Tora whispered. The three changed and took off in the opposite direction. Fires were starting in some of the shelters and wolves were fighting all around them. Some were running, but were being taken down. The three managed to make it to the woods, but the wolves followed them.

            Tora was leading them with Saga in the back, but then Tora slid to a stop as more wolves appeared in front of them. Nao, Tora, and Saga backed into each other as they were surrounded. They growled at the wolves getting closer, but then a man with a goatee walked up to them.

“There were some young healthy wolves here. Although I have no use for an alpha. Kill him, take the omegas.” He ordered.

“Tora.” Nao whimpered.

Tora growled and charged forward as the wolves started in on them. Saga fought back by Tora’s side and Nao ran to help, but was cut off other wolves. He jumped on them and bit one, but was thrown off and his head smacked into a tree.

            Nao was disoriented for moment and tried to stand, but fell and changed into his human form. He felt his body being lift by two hands and something placed around his neck. He looked up when he heard his name being called. He had to blink a few times to clear his vision, but when he did, he saw Saga and Tora changing back and lifting their hands in the air. That’s when Nao noticed a gun was pressed against his head. Tora was glaring at the man pointing the gun.

            A wolf grabbed Saga arms and held him back as another pushed Tora forward. The man walked towards Tora pointing the gun at the alpha. He moved behind Tora and forced him forward.

“Go on, say your good byes.” The man laughed.

Tora closed his eyes for second, but opened them giving Nao a soft look and smile. “Nao, I—”

He was cut off by the sound of a gunshot, and blood splattered across Nao’s face. The omega’s eyes widen as he watched blood pour out of Tora’s chest and the alpha dropped to his knees. Tora coughed out a mouthful of blood as he fell forward. Nao’s eyes were wide as he felt a pain flare up in his chest. His mouth hung open trying to speak.

            He faintly registered Saga fighting with men holding him. Saga was screaming but it was muffled in Nao’s ears as he watched the blood slowly spread in the dirt under Tora’s body. The pain in his chest was increase and his heart was on fire. He heard another gunshot and looked up to see Saga falling on the ground. Nao whimpered looking back down at Tora, tears finally falling from his cheeks.

He whimpered out. He took in a heavy breath before screaming out. “ _Tora!”_

He screamed and kept screaming as pain flared through his whole body, as the Tora’s blood soaked in the knees of his pants, as Saga twitched on the ground nearby, and as the man pointed the gun at his face. Nao whimpered out. “Tora…”


End file.
